THE STATISTICS

In a statement released by the Ministry of Health Canada, it is estimated that between 6-15% of Canadians aged 65 years and older suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Sadly there is no cure. What is more troubling is the number of Canadians who are living with dementia is expected to double by 2030. The number of people living with dementia worldwide is currently estimated at 47.5 million and is projected to increase to 75.6 million by 2030— more than twice the population of Canada. The number of cases of dementia are estimated to more than triple by 2050. Dementia is a looming catastrophe, public health experts say. And the world is not prepared.“The world has plans for dealing with a nuclear accident, cleaning up chemical spills, managing natural disasters,” Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said Tuesday. “But we do not have a comprehensive and affordable plan for coping with the tidal wave of dementia that is coming our way.”

It is estimated that there are 500,000 Canadians who have dementia. Around 50,000 are under 60 years old. It is projected that within 25 years, there will be over 1.1 million Canadians with Alzheimer's or a related dementia. 336% of Canadians know someone living with Alzheimer's disease and 17% of Canadians have someone with Alzheimer's disease in their immediate family. 5% of all Alzheimer's disease is believed to be hereditary. It is estimated that 1 in 5 woman over the age of 65 are at risk of Alzheimer's and it is 1 in 10 for men. There are 72% of Alzheimer's patients who are women. According to Women's Brain Health Initiative, women are nearly twice as men to succumb to dementia and two-and-a-half times more likely to be providing care for someone with the disease.