Provincial Statistics
Currently, over 22,000 Manitobans have Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. 1
This number is growing at alarming rate and within one generation (25 years), it is expected to reach over 40,700. 1
Last year alone, there were over 4,500 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia in Manitoba. By 2038, this number threatens to rise dramatically to over 9,350 a year. 3
In a recent Omnibus survey, an estimated 124,000 Manitobans reported to have used the services of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba. 2
The total economic burden of dementia in Manitoba is close to 1 billion dollars and is expected to grow to more than 4.4 billion by the year 2038. 3
Forty-three per cent of Manitobans have a family member or close friend with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.2
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, making up sixty-five percent of all forms of dementia.3
1 Banibrata Roy, Manitoba Bureau of Statistics – July 2015
2 Omnibus Survey Report – March 2015
3 Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia in Manitoba 2008 to 2038, 2010
National Statistics
The number of Canadians with cognitive impairment, including dementia, is rising sharply.
According to a 2012 study commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the number of Canadians living with cognitive impairment, including dementia, now stands at 747,000 and will double to 1.4 million by 2031. These figures comprise not only Canadians diagnosed with dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease, but also those with cognitive impairment, which frequently leads to the more degenerative forms.
Canada’s health-care system is ill-equipped to deal with the staggering costs
Today, the combined direct (medical) and indirect (lost earnings) costs of dementia total $33 billion per year. By 2040, this figure will skyrocket to $293 billion per year.
Pressures on family caregivers are mounting
In 2011, family caregivers spent 444 million unpaid hours per year looking after someone with dementia, representing $11 billion in lost income and 227,760 lost full-time equivalent employees in the work force. By 2040, they will be devoting a staggering 1.2 billion unpaid hours per year.
Canada needs a dementia plan – now
The Alzheimer Society wants a national dementia plan to help reduce the burden of dementia and to support more people with the disease across Canada. Health-care providers, politicians, and policy makers need to focus on:
- Increasing funding for research into all aspects of dementia
- Promoting earlier diagnosis and intervention
- Strengthening the integration of primary, home and community care
- Enhancing skills and training of the dementia workforce
- Recognizing the needs and improving supports for caregivers