Council of the Federation meets next week to talk dementia
Premiers from across the country will be meeting in Charlottetown August 26th to 30th for their annual summer meeting. This group, known as the Council of the Federation, meet regularly to discuss pressing issues that are important to all Canadians. At the 2013 summer meeting, the premiers directed the Health Care Innovation Working Group (HCIWG) to examine issues related to dementia, including a commitment to look at best practices related to raising awareness of dementia’s early warning signs, identifying best practices for early diagnosis, and identifying methods of intervention.
Earlier this winter, the G8 Dementia Summit shone an international spotlight on the impact that the dementia crisis will have on society. All participating countries declared that they were committed identifying a cure or disease-modifying therapy by 2025 and agreed that it is imperative for each country to develop and implement a national dementia plan.
While both the Council of the Federation and the federal government have spoken about the importance of dementia, Canada still does not have a unified national dementia plan.
As Alzheimer Society of Canada CEO, Mimi Lowi-Young puts it, “It comes down to a question of economics. We have excellent resources provincially. We need to bring these together into one comprehensive, coordinated national dementia plan so Canadians wherever they live receive standardized care that is affordable and cost-effective.”
A national dementia plan will:
- Ensure a coordinated approach to awareness, diagnosis and treatment of dementia by governments
- Build comprehensive supports across the country
- Accelerate investment in research
It’s not too late though to make your voice heard and show your support for a plan. You can still use our online letter-writing tool to personalize your letter and let your premier that action is needed now to create a national dementia plan that will address the needs of the millions of Canadians who have a friend or family member with this disease.
Visit www.alzheimer.ca/tellyourpremier2014 to send your letter.