Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease Are On The Rise in Canada: Here's What it Means For You And Your Family

For the first time in our nation’s history, there are more seniors than children in Canada.

This means that more seniors are being diagnosed with dementia—as well as Alzheimer’s disease.

In fact, statistics from the Alzheimer Society of Canada show that the number of Canadians with dementia is rising sharply:

Currently, over half a million Canadians live with dementia
25,000 new cases are diagnosed every year across the country
By 2031, the number of Canadians with dementia will rise 66% to 937,000

**What are your chances of being affected?**

You are probably wondering what these national statistics mean for you on a personal level—whether as a senior citizen or a caring family member.

Unfortunately, the chances of you being affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s are already quite high.

Here’s why:

Today, 1 in 20 people in Canada age 65 have Alzheimer’s; and
That number increases to 1 in 4 by age 85.

Even more concerning is that within little more than a decade, there will be a significant jump in the number of cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s than ever before.

Pink and blue background with white frame with cards in the middle that have question marks on them — Over half a million Canadians live with dementia

So now what?

If you have an aging parent, you may be starting to see signs—but not sure what those signs actually mean.

You may be wondering, “how do I know if my mom or dad has dementia or Alzheimer’s disease?”

First off, check out our blog for warning signs of early Alzheimer’s (our blog also helps differentiate between normal aging vs. dementia vs. Alzheimer’s).
You may also want to take your parent for a geriatric assessment—you can learn more about testing here.