Abstract

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Abstract

This article provides information on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, using the 2010/2011 Canadian Community Health Survey, the 2011/2012 Survey of Neurological Conditions in Institutions in Canada, and the 2011 Survey on Living with Neurological Conditions in Canada. Among Canadians aged 45 or older, an estimated 0.8% in private households and 45% in long-term residential care facilities had a diagnosis of dementia. Prevalence rose with age. The vast majority of people with dementia in private households received assistance with medical care (81%), housework and home maintenance (83%), meal preparation (88%), emotional support (90%), transportation (92%), and managing care (92%). Among those receiving assistance, 85% relied, at least in part, on family, friends or neighbours. The primary caregiver tended to be a spouse (46%) or an adult child (44%), most of whom were daughters (71%). The majority of primary caregivers lived in the same household (83%) and provided daily care (86%).

Keywords

Caregivers, informal assistance, neurological disease

Findings

Dementia is the most common type of neurodegenerative disorder. In 2010, an estimated 35.6 million people worldwide were living with dementia, a number that is expected to double in 20 years. [Full Text]

Authors

Suzy L. Wong (suzy.wong@canada.ca), Heather Gilmour and Pamela L. Ramage-Morin are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6.

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