There will be more than 1.7 million Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease by 2050

BY PAUL JUNOR

The Alzheimer Society has been at the forefront of educating and informing Canadians about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia for many years. Their mission is to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and to promote research, and their vision is a world without Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

The release of the results of the landmark study: “The Many Faces of Dementia in Canada,” is the second in a series of three reports that were released in 2024. The fact that it is projecting that there will be more than 1.7 million Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease by 2050 will no doubt be challenging for many care: partners, families, loved ones and the health care system.

The report utilizes a microsimulation study which the Alzheimer Society of Canada developed. It intends to provide a thorough understanding of dementia in Canada in the long-term for thirty years. In addition, there were investigations done into: Indigenous people in Canada, ethnic origins, sex excluding gender analysis and age (young onset dementia). The results of this study were analyzed using a microsimulation model conceived by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA). This model can simulate “agents” that act as a statistical representation of persons living in Canada and their interactions over time as they age and pass-through various states, such as: dementias diagnosis, hospitalization, and death. This allows the model to provide estimates and forecasts of the rates of dementia in Canada and related impacts over time.

The executive summary of the study revealed that there are over 650,000 Canadians currently living with dementia and the numbers are projected to increase as the population ages. It describes dementia as a set of symptoms caused by what is most often a progressive loss of brain function and structure over time, and it is not a single specific condition; it is an umbrella term that covers more than 50 different diseases, or conditions that can cause the symptoms of dementia.

Specifically, Alzheimer’s disease refers to an illness that causes changes to brain structure years before any problem with thinking, memory, mood, communication and/or behaviour emerge.

This report which builds on the insights of the first report examines those who are at risk of developing dementia, as it projects over the next thirty years. The chapters are:

• Chapter 1;The Many Faces of Dementia in Canada
• Chapter 2: Dementia and Indigenous Peoples
• Chapter 3: Ethnic and Racial Diversity of Peoples Affected by Dementia
• Chapter 4: Sex and Gender Differences in Dementia
• Chapter 5: Young Onset Dementia: Distinct Challenges
• Chapter 6: Promotion Inclusion for All Peoples Living with Dementia

There are six different types of dementia which have been identified. They include:

Alzheimer’s Dementia: This is a later stage of Alzheimer’s disease as a result of damaged brain cells. The characteristic features include amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

Vascular Dementia: This results from blockage, or interruption of blood supply in the brain which damages brain cells.

Frontotemporal Dementia: It is a group of rarer disorders that may initially start by affecting the frontal and temporal areas of the brain.

Lewy Body Dementia: This results from “Lewy bodies” which are abnormal deposits of the protein alpha-synuclein inside the brain’s nerve cells. It shares numerous characteristics of Parkinson’s disease and may occur in someone diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Young Onset Dementia: This tends to occur in individuals who are younger than 65 years old. There may be a genetic component to it or from brain injuries, heavy alcohol use and environmental toxins.

Mixed Dementia: This occurs when symptoms of at least two different types of dementia show up. It may result from multiple disease processes in an older person that cause symptoms.

Researchers have identified several risk factors that are associated with an increased risk of dementia, which have varied impact on individuals. They belong to two categories: non-modifiable risk factors and modifiable risk factors. The former are fixed and are non-changeable (age, sex at birth and genetics) while the latter include: a range of lifestyle and behavioral factors (physical exercise, social activities, using hearing aids, heart health, mental exercise or activities as well as preventative measures to protect brain from injuries).

Social determinants of health (non-medical, social and economic factors) affect the risk of dementia across the population. They include:

• Income and social status
• Employment and working conditions
• Education and literacy
• Early childhood development
• Physical environments and housing
• Social supports
• Access to health services
• Biology and genetics
• Gender
• Culture
• Race, racism and racialization
• Disability and ableism

The ten warning signs of dementia are:

• Memory changes that affect day-to-day abilities
• Difficulty doing familiar tasks
• Changes in language and communication
• Disorientation in time and place
• Impaired judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Misplaced things
• Changes in mood, personality and behavior
• Loss of initiative
• Challenges understanding visual and spatial information

There are some interesting facts, which are revealed from this Landmark Study such as:

• By 2050, one out of every four people who develop dementia in Canada will be of Asian origin (a 785 % increase from 2020).
• People of African descent in Canada are predicted to experience a 507% increase in dementia numbers in Canada, while people of Latin/Central/South descent will experience a 434% increase in dementia numbers.
• By 2050, it is projected that over one million women will be living with dementia compared to an estimated 61.8% in 2020.
• By 2050, it is estimated that there could be over 40,000 people under the age of 65 living with dementia in Canada, compared to 28,000 in 2020.