Public Health Agency of Canada | Dementia Strategic Fund

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms affecting brain function that are caused by neurodegenerative and vascular diseases or injuries. It is characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities. These abilities can include:

• memory
• awareness of person, place and time
• language
• basic math skills
• judgement
• planning

Dementia can also affect mood and behaviour.

It is estimated that more than 432,000 Canadians over the age of 65 were living with diagnosed dementia in Canada in 2016/17, two-thirds of whom were women. Age is an important risk factor for dementia and as Canada’s population ages, the number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to rise. Nine seniors are diagnosed every hour with dementia, and the risk of being diagnosed with dementia doubles with every 5-year increase in age, between the ages of 65 and 84. Statistics show that 0.8% of Canadians aged 65-69 years are diagnosed with dementia compared to 31.5% of those aged 90 years and older.

On June 17, 2019, the Government of Canada released Canada’s first national dementia strategy: A Dementia Strategy for Canada - Together We Aspire. The vision of the strategy is “a Canada in which all people living with dementia and caregivers are valued and supported, quality of life is optimized, and dementia is prevented, well understood and effectively treated”. Each of the strategy’s 3 national objectives provides a broad scope for initiatives and activities. Under each national objective, areas of focus are identified where greater efforts are required to make progress on dementia in Canada. The 3 national objectives are:

1. prevent dementia
2. advance therapies and find a cure
3. improve the quality of life of people living with dementia and caregivers

The strategy responds to the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act which was passed in June 2017.

To support the implementation of the strategy, efforts to raise awareness of dementia through the new DSF will focus on multiple objectives:

• preventing dementia
• reducing stigma
• encouraging and enabling communities to become more dementia-inclusive

Applicants for funding to conduct an awareness initiative must select at least one of the objectives mentioned above.

Level of education, hearing loss, hypertension, obesity, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation and diabetes are factors that, if acted on, could reduce the risk of developing dementia and prevent approximately 35% of cases of dementia. Other risk factors currently being explored include alcohol use, traumatic brain injury, air and noise pollution, diet and changes in cholesterol.

For those living with dementia, stigma creates increased risk for abuse and neglect, and can result in barriers to care and support. In addition, people living with dementia and dementia caregivers can face numerous challenges accessing services, participating in their community and continuing to work while still able.

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