More than 1.7 million Canadians will have dementia by 2050, three times the number who had the disease in 2020, according to projections by the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Without investments in prevention, home care, and long-term care over the next three decades, unpaid family and friends will end up shouldering nearly 1.4 billion hours of dementia care annually --the equivalent of more than 690 000 full-time jobs.
Some 350 000 informal caregivers already provide an average of 26 hours of dementia care a week, taking on the equivalent of 235 000 full-time positions.
"The figures in the report should sound alarm bells across the country," says Kevin Noel, interim CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. However, "There is still hope that solutions can be found to ease the burden of those living with dementia and those caring for them.
According to the organization's projections, delaying the onset of dementia across the population could have an "enormous impact" on health systems and caregivers over the next three decades.
Delaying the average onset of dementia by even one year could result in nearly 500 000 fewer new cases by 2050. Meanwhile, a 10-year delay could avoid more than four million new cases over...