Hope for Dementia Launches Petition to Make Dementia Prevention a National Health Care Priority

Urgent action needed now to mitigate the explosion of dementia cases predicted by 2033

MONTREAL, Nov. 29, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Hope for Dementia has launched a petition to the federal government to make dementia prevention a national health care priority. The petition asks the government to work with provincial governments to encourage the adoption of dementia prevention and service delivery strategies. It also calls for medical staff training to learn how to screen for symptoms and better manage diagnoses.

"The growth in the number of persons diagnosed and living with dementia represents an unsustainable trajectory," explained Parsa Famili, President, Hope for Dementia. "We applaud the government's National Dementia Strategy which focuses on post diagnosis therapies, but prevention must now also become a priority before our health care system, resources and caregivers become overwhelmed."

The not-for-profit organization recently published a white paper outlining a strategic framework to alter the tsunami of dementia headed our way with cases expected to amount to nearly 1 million in Canada by 2033. By 2031, care costs will reach $16.6 billion, while total out-of-pocket costs paid by caregivers will amount to nearly $2.4 billion.

"We are recommending that the government deploy three critical initiatives to bend the curve: Ongoing public education on modifiable factors, including regular screening; a standardized national cognitive assessment test; and a dedicated public/private sector fund for promising research and clinical trials," added Camille Isaacs Morell, Vice President at Hope for Dementia. "We invite all Canadians to help ensure our concerns are heard by signing the petition online."

The petition e-3698 will be open until 25 March 2022.   Ms. Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Member of Parliament for St-Laurent, the riding in which Hope for Dementia is located, will be asked to submit the petition to the House of Commons.

Hope for Dementia's white paper, titled Altering the Forecast on the Tsunami of Dementia – A Framework for Prevention, Symptom Deceleration and Reversal is available online at www.hopefordementia.org.

About Hope for Dementia 

Hope for Dementia is a federal non-profit charitable organization (Registration # 815949763 RR001) whose mission is to support the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of dementia and other cognitive disorders.  Hope for Dementia aspires to be a leading advocate and catalyst in the prevention and reversal of dementia. To achieve this, Hope for Dementia raises funds to provide services and fund promising research and clinical trials to reverse the symptoms in persons diagnosed with dementia.

Hope for Dementia currently offers three services – The Intergenerational Learning Program, in which seniors and youths to learn from each other and to reduce the social isolation that many elderly people experience; Healthy Food Healthy Brain food baskets distributed to low-income families and seniors in need; and Just Connect & Tablet Donation Program which inspires people to call or safely check up on seniors through the internet.

www.hopefordementia.org 

SOURCE Hope for Dementia

Media contact: Camille N. Isaacs Morell, [email protected], [phone]