Return to First QuestionsWhat are some quick facts on dementia in Canada?
Quick facts
We are expecting to see the number of people living with dementia in Alberta more than double in the next 30 years. Under current trends, the projections for are as follows (more details can be found in the tables and figures on the following pages):
o 2020: 52,000 (61.2% female)
o 2050: 200,900 (61.2% female)
• Estimated and projected number of unpaid dementia care partners, and hours of care provided in Alberta:
o 2020: 30,300 (40.1 million hours/year)
o 2050: 118,200 (161.4 million hours/year)
• The Landmark Study also used the simulation model to examine what the impact that delaying the onset of dementia would have on the incidence and prevalence rates in Alberta. Below are some of the highlights:
o Current trends indicate an increase of 148,900 cases of dementia in AB by 2050. This is a 286% increase from 2020 estimates of dementia in the province.
o Based on the model estimates, a 1-year delay in the onset of dementia in individuals would prevent approximately 47,300 new cases of dementia occurring by 2050 in Alberta.
o A 10-year delay of onset for dementia would result in 2050 AB dementia prevalence (58,000) being only slightly higher than the 2020 estimates, effectively flattening the curve.
▪ If achieved today, this 10-year delay in onset would see AB avoid 392,800 cases of dementia by 2050.
▪ If the onset of dementia is deferred 10 years, the model estimates a 25% increase in the number of care partners in Alberta from 2020 to 2050, opposed to a 290% increase if current trends are continued. This deferred incidence is associated with a large reduction in estimate caregiving hours in 2050. With a 10-year delayed onset, the 2050 estimate of 161.4 million hours with current trends reduces to 47.2 million.