Mr. Speaker, today is Alzheimer's Day. The theme for the 2010 campaign is “Dementia. It's time for action!”.
Dementia affects 20% of seniors by the age 80. Dementia affects over 40% of seniors by the age of 90. Today, 500,000 Canadians are living with dementia. Every five minutes, another Canadian develops dementia. In 20 years, the total number of people living with dementia in Canada will be 1.1 million.
Dementia costs Canada $50 million a day. In a few years, it will triple. Imagine not just the financial cost but the human cost of doing nothing or not much. We need a plan to support the millions of Canadians living with this disease and their families who care for them. We need more investment in dementia care and better treatment.
A national strategy for dealing with dementia must be a priority for our country. Alzheimer's Day reminds us that we need to act, and act quickly.