Research released by the P.E.I. Alzheimer Society projects the future economic impact of dementia on Islanders, including health-care costs, hospital costs and caregiver expenses, among other factors, to be about $3.4 billion over the next 30 years, says the CEO of the P.E.I. Alzheimer Society.
Corrine Hendricken-Eldershaw made the comment during a presentation at a Charlottetown Rotary Club meeting.
The focus of the presentation was a research report the society released in January called Rising Tide: Impact of Dementia on Islanders.
Hendricken-Eldershaw said the report looks at the effects the disease and its 80 forms have on those with the disease, those caring for people with the disease and the costs involved.
"(The report) looks at the economical and societal impacts of the disease," Hendricken-Eldershaw said.
The last report of this kind dealing with dementia was released in the 1970s by the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.
"What we wanted was evidence-based research in the 21st century."
Approximately 2,200 people are living with some form of dementia on P.E.I. and as the population ages as we live longer, the number has the potential to increase significantly, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.
"For the generation (entering retirement age), the potential for this disease for all of us is there," she said.
"For the generation coming in, there's a lot coming down the pipe."
The presentation also looked at a number of possible preventative measures for the disease with increasing physical activity, increasing research and finding a cure.
Alzheimer's was discovered in 1906 and a cure has not yet been found despite the many years of research, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.
"We don't have a definitive cause and cure for the disease and I expect to see one in about 10 years."
The Canadian Institute for Health Information is scheduled to release two studies on Thursday aimed at providing support for caregivers.
ONLINE
The P.E.I. Alzheimer Society's report can be accessed online at www.alzpei.ca.
