VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C – The Federal Government announced funding for dementia research and the Alzheimers Society of BC is happy.
Manager of Advocacy and Education for the society, Jennifer Stewart says the new strategy is a step in the right direction.
“This is a huge milestone for everyone in Canada who is concerned about dementia. This is a first step towards creating a framework for how to move forward in terms of prevention of dementia, advancing therapies, and finding a cure hopefully,” said Stewart.
She added although the funding is good, the road to cure dementia is a long one.
“I think it was definitely a process to get to this point and there’s still lots of work ahead of us.”
According to Stewart, approximately 70,000 British Columbians are currently living with dementia, and that number is expected to double in the next 15 years.
She says this is an opportunity to start planning ahead and put together programs and initiatives that will help fight the disease.
“It’s about prevention, it’s about finding the cure, and looking at therapies that can reduce systems, but it’s also about improving quality of life for people who are dealing with this sickness today.”
For more on the Alzheimer’s Society of BC, click here.
