Hope Highlights March 2022

In Canada, it is estimated that the number of persons living with dementia will nearly double within two decades, rising from 513,953 in 2014 to an estimated 986,954 by 2033.^[i] Direct medical care costs for Canadians living with dementia were estimated at $12 billion in 2020 and are projected to reach $16.6 billion by 2031.^[ii]

These trends present an unsustainable trajectory. In Hope for Dementia’s White Paper, a framework is proposed to bend the curve downward through strategies for the prevention of dementia and for the deceleration and the reversal of symptoms.

In our previous bulletin, we focused on primary prevention strategies. In this bulletin, we focus on strategies to decelerate the symptoms of dementia.

Secondary prevention: improving individual health for persons at risk

Secondary prevention strategies target at-risk groups and involve symptom deceleration measures such as nutrition modification, on-going assessment, and stimulation activities to delay cognitive decline as well as preserve the health of persons diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

In high income countries, only 20-50% of dementia cases are recognised and documented in primary care, with much higher percentages estimated in low- and middle-income countries. Alzheimer’s Disease International estimates that worldwide, approximately three quarters of people with dementia have not received a diagnosis.^[iii]

INSIGHTS

Many persons living with dementia, particularly in the early stage of the disease, have no access to treatment, care, and organized support

PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Secondary prevention: deceleration of risks and symptoms

Prioritize early detection and on-going cognitive assessment among at-risk groups.

SERVICE DELIVERY

Health promotion and protection

Deploy on-going cognitive assessment services proven to promote, prevent and decelerate cognitive decline, specifically targeting at-risk groups
Formalize partnerships between the healthcare and social services sectors to ensure optimal coordination of services and effective monitoring of persons at risk and proactive treatment in the early stages of dementia

To read the complete version of the White Paper, click here.

[i] Prevalence and Monetary Costs of Dementia in Canada: Population Health Expert Panel. Table 2, page 22, Published by the Alzheimer Society of Canada in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Toronto, Canada, 2016

[ii] Prevalence and Monetary Costs of Dementia in Canada: Population Health Expert Panel Table 4 page 32 & Figure 5 page 33

[iii] Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) statistics. https://www.alzint.org/about/dementia-facts-figures/dementia-statistics/ Accessed on 20 May 2021.