Report sheds light on dementia in B.C. and impact of ethnic origin, sex and young onset of the disease

This is one of the first studies of its kind and underscores the need for more research into how these factors change the experience of dementia. Key findings from the report for B.C. include:

• An estimated 1,530 Indigenous people in B.C. were living with dementia in 2020. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to 5,900 – an increase of 286 per cent, above the 218 per cent rise projected in the overall population.
• By 2050, one out of every three people who live with dementia in B.C. will be of Asian origin, including members of the Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Iranian, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese communities – up more than 700 per cent from 2020.
• Additionally, by 2050, there will be a projected 1.7 times (70 per cent) as many people assigned female at birth who live with dementia than of people assigned male at birth.
• More than 6,000 people under the age of 65 are expected to live with dementia.

Jana Schulz – care partner, advocate, dementia education coordinator, MINT Memory Clinic social worker in her community and previously-elected official within the Métis Nation of B.C. – was a citizen reviewer on the study. Schulz cares for her father, who is also Métis and lives with dementia. For Schulz, supporting the work was a step toward bringing deeper understanding of the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and how it affects Indigenous Peoples living with dementia and their care partners today. Research into this area is her top priority.

“From experience, there isn’t enough research to indicate how intergenerational trauma and the residential school system impacts responsive behaviours for people living with dementia,” Schulz says. “In order to be culturally safe, those working with Indigenous Peoples living with dementia need to have a true understanding of the experiences the person that they are serving has had. It goes way beyond being trauma informed. Having these understandings can greatly improve the quality of care and quality of life for Indigenous Peoples living with dementia and their care partners.”

In addition to supporting more Indigenous-led dementia research and care resources, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. encourages continued research to consider the potential ways dementia may specifically affect non-binary, transgender or other gender-diverse people. The charity recommends more in-depth research on people of Asian origin affected by dementia, including details like their primary language. This information will help in developing linguistically- and culturally-appropriate resources for communities in the province. Among the resources the Alzheimer Society of B.C. offers are dementia education, support groups and social and fitness programming for Chinese and South Asian communities, including programming and resources in Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The organization will be hosting a South Asian health forum later this winter, alongside fundraising events specific to the Chinese community, including the annual Charity Dinner for Alzheimer’s.

“The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is deeply committed to creating resources tailored to meet the needs of the diverse population of our province, including support and education developed for and in partnership with Indigenous, South Asian and Chinese communities, as well as resources specifically for people affected by young onset dementia and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities,” said Jennifer Lyle, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. “We applaud the Alzheimer Society of Canada for taking this important step towards addressing equitable access to health care, and more work is needed to understand the specific needs of these large, diverse groups.”

The Landmark Study – Report 2: The Many Faces of Dementia in Canada is the second in a series of three based on data developed by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA). The first report, released in 2022, offered the first significant update on projections for the number of Canadians who are forecast to be living with dementia since 2010. The third and final report will detail the social and economic impact of dementia on people living with dementia, their care partners and Canada as a whole.