The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba (ASM) has documented some 19,600 Manitobans with some form of dementia, and that number is on the rise.  They expect the number of Manitobans diagnosed to be close to double, approximately 39,000 by the year 2050.  

As the large population of Baby Boomers are in or are nearing their senior years this will affect the need for more supports.   Baby Boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964.  Now in 2024, this demographic of the population includes everyone over the age of 60. By 2050 that number will have increased substantially.

ASM CEO, Erin Crawford, says the rise in expected cases of dementia in Manitoba is largely because of an aging population.  "The older we get the more likely we are to develop dementia, though dementia is not a normal part of aging, and I think it's important to emphasize that for people. Dementia is not a normal part of aging.  It is a disease.  And so, your likelihood of developing it increases significantly as you get older and particularly over the age of 65."

"So as our population is aging, we are expecting more and more people having dementia," she adds. "It's not so much one individual person's chance of developing dementia is going to be so much higher in the next 20 years.  Any given 60-year old's chance of developing dementia in 20 years is the same as it is today.  But there's going to be so many more of us in that age category. And it's going to be a real challenge to make sure we can respond to that need."
Crawford notes that dementia is age-related, but it is not 'normal.'

"With normal aging, you would not have dementia," she explains. "You would not have the kind of symptoms where you are perhaps not recognizing people who have been close to you.  You are perhaps becoming disoriented in familiar places. Those are not what we would expect with normal aging."

"So," she adds. "You're much more likely to develop dementia as you get older, but it isn't just part of what to expect. And if you're seeing those kinds of symptoms in yourself or somebody else, it's definitely something to talk to your doctor about."

Dementia can present as increased forgetfulness, decreased cognitive abilities, or just not able to understand things that were a part of your daily life,. But dementia can also present with hallucinations, dreams and nightmares are considered to be real happenings where there is no longer a clear sense of reality.  It's devastating to the dementia patient, and the family that is trying to care for their loved one.

However, there are things we can do to stimulate brain health and reduce the risk of dementia as we celebrate our next birthday!  

This includes eating well, participating in regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, reduce your alcohol and sugar intake.  Yes, all the things we need to do to keep all of our organs functioning well!  These good health habits help keep the brain healthy as well.
"We talk about reducing our risk of dementia because we actually don't know for sure how to prevent it," adds Crawford. "I can't say 'if you do this, you won't get it.' but there are things you can do to help reduce the risk."

In addition to these things to keep your entire body healthy, Crawford says there are additional things you can do such as maintaining your social connections.

Crawford says staying intellectually engaged through learning new skills, (such as a new language, a new sport) and challenging your brain to think and strategize (through crossword puzzles, puzzles, sudoku), and stimulate conversation with others through phone calls and in-person visits.

The other risk factor for developing dementia is loss of hearing.  Crawford encourages folks to get their hearing checked!

"There is a correlation between hearing loss and dementia, and if you're feeling shy about getting hearing aids, just go and get your hearing checked and take whatever steps you need to ensure that your hearing health is cared for as well."

Crawford adds that it's very difficult to determine what are the causes of age-related dementia as each case is not the same as the next.   "It can present in different ways, and it impacts different people in really different ways."

"It's such a challenging way to have to live with this disease, and it's why families need so much support because it's really, really hard," she says. "It's devastating when you start to see these things happening to someone that you love."

Please listen to more with Erin Crawford below!

Alzheimer Society of Manitoba - Dementia Care & Brain Health