moved:
Motion No. 170
That, in the opinion of the House, the government, in consultation with the provinces and territories, should develop a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to ensure a nationally coordinated and comprehensive approach to these health issues.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to this private member's motion. The motion calls upon the federal government to initiate consultations with the provinces and territories to develop a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The central purpose is to put in place a coordinated comprehensive approach by providing an opportunity for shared learning, the development of best practice models of care across jurisdictional boundaries, and the adoption of a strategic and cost effective response to Alzheimer's disease.
Recently the National Advisory Council on Aging released a position paper on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The report presents a strong and undeniable case for Alzheimer's disease as a national health priority for Canadians. It indicates that a national strategy is needed, is feasible, and the need for leadership on a national level is recommended.
Some of the key recommendations include research, information, education, access and equity, quality, integration, a continuum of care, and workforce development and training. Similarly we already have models of nationally integrated and coordinated strategies to address other chronic diseases like diabetes, stroke and cancer. Our demographics clearly show that there is a looming need for collective action on Alzheimer's disease now.
As a daughter whose father passed away from Alzheimer's disease, I have experienced the full range of consequences resulting from this devastating disease. There are no adequate words to describe what it is like to stand by and watch the disintegration of a once thriving contributing individual, a loved one, literally slip away day by day.
Imagine someone like my dad, Vic, who fought for Canada in World War II, working all his life, supporting his family, putting his kids through school and then getting to retirement age, a time when he should be enjoying his spouse and grandchildren, and instead a descent into the darkness of cognitive impairment begins. A person's spouse, family and caregivers watch this relentless disease take hold as death in slow motion begins.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible, degenerative disease of the brain. In essence, it attacks and destroys brain cells, ravaging the mind, often brilliant minds, by impairing one's memory, insight and judgment. In its wake is left a monumental far-reaching effect on families across our country. Over 70% of informal caregivers are women, most often wives, 24%, or adult daughters, 29%. Current estimates indicate that one Alzheimer's patient affects a minimum of 10 to 12 people, whether it is family, caregivers, neighbours or close friends.
Current statistics indicate that there are 420,600 individuals who suffer presently from Alzheimer's and dementia in Canada. This figure represents approximately 8% of all our seniors. In 2005 there will be an estimated 94,270 new cases of dementia, the majority being Alzheimer's. By 2011 new cases of dementia are expected to reach 111,560 per year, of which 67,680 will be women and 43,880 will be men.
It is estimated that by 2031 approximately 750,000 Canadians are expected to be affected by this dreaded disease. That is three-quarters of a million Canadians. Over the age of 65, people's odds are 1 in 13 to be affected by Alzheimer's.
The statistics on Alzheimer's disease, while significant on their own, can only begin to tell the story of the far-reaching impact of this disease. There are a growing number of organizations, like the Alzheimer Society of Canada and its provincial and community counterparts, working diligently in an effort to meet the needs of patients, families and caregivers. Key stakeholders have formed community partnerships to initiate and implement policies and services to fulfill the needs of patients, their families and their caregivers. I heartily applaud the work being done today across our country.
I am also acutely aware that as the number of Canadians diagnosed with Alzheimer's increases as a result of our aging population, we must act decisively and strategically to beat this catastrophic illness and to improve our ability to better cope with the impacts while we do so. An increasing number of baby boomers are now finding and will find themselves becoming a part of a caregiver network to parents, relatives and friends with dementia.
Statistics clearly show the correlation in the development of chronic health problems as a significant factor among informal caregivers who are caring for people with dementia. Of all groups researched, spousal caregivers use fewer support services than any other, yet it is precisely those spousal caregivers who are more likely to be giving care to those with Alzheimer's.
Aside from the overwhelming human costs, the financial costs associated with Alzheimer's disease are startling in themselves. Health care, paid and unpaid caregiving, of which there is much, combined are estimated to be $5.5 billion per year. The social costs to families, caregivers and society at large are enormous, for example, unpaid caregiving, stress, illness, depression and career interruption.
The costs to our society are incalculable. There is no doubt that these costs will rise exponentially if current projections remain unchanged and appropriate steps are not taken now. In fact, some analysts believe that over the next 25 years, Alzheimer's disease combined with other forms of cognitive impairment will rise to have the highest economic, social and health cost burden of all diseases in Canada.
The implications are clearly something that cannot be ignored. This is a sleeping giant. The need to enhance, coordinate and expedite the needed support services and research cannot be overstated.
Our knowledge of Alzheimer's is increasing. However, more definitive research is necessary now. Many researchers feel that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementia may be reduced or delayed by certain preventative factors. We are beginning to understand there are things that we can do which may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. This must be pursued vigorously. In addition, if research can develop the means of diagnosing people with Alzheimer's disease earlier, with more precision prior to significant brain damage, improved intervention would be able to actually halt the progression of the disease, avoiding it in its most severe forms.
As mild cognitive impairment is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, it is now an important and promising area of dementia research. In biomedical and psychosocial research, Canada has made considerable contributions to Alzheimer's disease. However, we do lag behind our American and European counterparts in developing a coordinated national research program.
Scientists have made great advances in better understanding Alzheimer's disease in the last 20 years, but this success has not always translated into the politics of health policy. It is now clear that early intervention with the appropriate services and treatment can delay the onset of this disease. While the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which includes the Institute of Aging, has been a very important component of health research in Canada, very simply put, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and its impact is growing at a faster rate than increases in research.
In several key areas related to diagnosis, treatment, care and possible cure of Alzheimer's, we must do a lot better, and we can. Increased funding is only part of the answer in this race against time. Although we find many individual situations where quality care exists, there are many more where this is not the case. There is no doubt they would benefit significantly from a comprehensive coordinated approach of sharing best practices. There is no doubt.
The aim of a national strategy would be to enhance the quality of life for people living with Alzheimer's, their families and caregivers, and where possible, prevent or delay the onset of this dreaded disease. While much of the implementation would occur at the provincial, territorial, regional and community levels, the federal government can and must play a key role, both in terms of leadership and funding.
There are countless Canadians taking care of loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. Surprisingly, only one in four people caring for a person with dementia receives formal home care services to assist them in caring for their family member, often after five years. This is a result of many factors, including inconsistent funding, lack of care and support services across the country, and a lack of knowledge often that there are services available. A national Alzheimer's strategy would unquestionably provide the much needed focus to address serious issues, each of which holds tremendous potential to improve the quality of life of Canadians with Alzheimer's disease and their families.
This bold essential step of establishing a national strategy has the potential to change lives now and in the future.
In a 2002 Ipsos-Reid poll, Canadians showed they are highly aware of Alzheimer's, with almost 90% indicating they are equally and especially concerned about the cost to our health care system now and in the future as our population ages. The same percentage also felt that more money should be spent on Alzheimer's research. Over 52% of Canadians know someone with Alzheimer's disease. In fact, almost 25% of Canadians have someone with Alzheimer's in their families.
The fact is Canadians expect action by their governments regarding Alzheimer's disease. I believe we have an absolute obligation to our parents, ourselves and the next generation to do everything possible to confront this cruel killer at every turn, to prevent it, delay it, and finally stop it in its tracks. We have a responsibility also to make this journey as dignified as possible for those who suffer from it and those around them.
This formidable enemy has claimed far too many victims in the cruelest way possible and it warrants an equally fierce national comprehensive plan of action, a collective action. We must take the necessary steps now to put in place a system that will respond to the unprecedented challenges that await us surely in the coming years.
The establishment of a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease would signal an important recognition of the impact that this disease has on all aspects of our health care system, our communities and our society. It should take a long term approach, build momentum, build on our current successes, with the aim of developing and adding capacity so that we can move to close the gaps that currently exist.
As I mentioned earlier, the establishment of a national strategy on diabetes several years earlier is a perfect case in point that developing a national action plan can become and will become a catalyst in moving forward. Incidents of diabetes have become more and more prevalent in our society, in fact reaching epidemic proportions. In establishing the national diabetes strategy there was a concentrated collaborated effort which elevated the level of awareness, research and programs available and being developed to combat this rapidly escalating disease.
In developing a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease, I believe this proactive step would be instrumental in leveraging existing as well as new resources from all partners so that concrete steps can be taken to tackle this disease effectively. This historic commitment would certainly go a long way in identifying and extracting the maximum benefit possible from the resources we are already committing and would lay the groundwork for the years ahead which could be very difficult.
Working in conjunction with the provinces and territories, we have made great strides on numerous fronts, like our 10 year health accord, moving forward with the national home care plan, and the development of our healthy living strategy to manage and improve our health both now and in the future. Although all these investments are very valuable pieces in the puzzle in the diagnosis and treatment of, and hopefully an ultimate cure for Alzheimer's, there is still a critical need for an all-encompassing strategic plan for the future.
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are complex problems that cannot be undertaken by one government or one sector of society. This disease does not acknowledge jurisdictional boundaries. In committing to a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease with our other key partners we would be able to weave together the threads of policy initiatives, programs and services across our country to focus on the prevention, treatment and cure of this disease.
To all my colleagues, I ask that they join me today in recommending the development of a national strategy on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to prevent the worst effects of this disease in the years ahead. We are poised for a breakthrough. Let us not drop the ball now. It is within our reach.
