The University of Ottawa’s Brain and Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI) has launched a definitive, go-to web resource – dementia-prevention.ca – to educate the public about dementia prevention.
Here are some of the key facts about dementia you will discover on the site:
- Dementia is on the rise in Canada with 2.4 million Canadians – including 1.68 million women – expected to suffer from the neurological disease within the next decade.
- Seventy percent (70%) of dementia patients are women.
- Eighty percent (80%) of those who died with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis showed a vascular abnormality, a condition which can be treated if caught early.
- Factors contributing to increased risk of dementia:
- Smoking
- Depression
- Physical inactivity
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Resources on the site, include dementia risk calculator; videos highlighting the uOBMRI’s research in the field; and interviews with our top researchers, including internationally recognized clinicians and scientists.
"Almost 1 million Canadians are cognitively impaired, a figure that grows by one person every five minutes. The cost of managing dementia in a decade from now will be a major burden and is expected to exceed our current health care budget. To protect yourself from dementia you cannot wait until the problem starts, you have to get ahead of it and protect your brain against dementia, basically from the teenage years all the way forward.”
– Dr. Antoine Hakim, Founding Director, uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute Senior Scientist Emeritus, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
“In Canada, the number of people diagnosed with dementia has grown rapidly, creating a healthcare crisis that needs to be addressed at multiple levels. The uOBMRI has launched this educational campaign to encourage Canadians to discover how they can take control of their brain health and reduce their risk for dementia and embrace healthy aging.”
– Dr. Ruth Slack, Director, uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute and a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine.
Media resources: video
Media enquiries:
Paul Logothetis
Media Relations Agent
Cell : 613.863.7221
[email protected]