Jennifer Lyle is the CEO of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. (Submitted)(Submitted)
Lake Cowichan Gazette – Jennifer Lyle – Feb 23 25
250,000 by 2050 will be living with dementia
Currently more than 85,000 people are living with dementia in B.C. — and without a cure, that number is going to balloon to 250,000 by 2050.
While the impact that will have on our health care system is not a new conversation, so much of our attention has been focused on long-term care and home support, but there’s a missing puzzle piece: what will the impact of dementia be on acute care — our hospitals and our emergency rooms? How bad will things get if we don’t do something about it?
In an ideal system, people needing acute care would go to the hospital, receive the treatment they need and either be discharged or transitioned somewhere for more ongoing care and support. Unfortunately, this isn’t a reality here or in many other places across the country. For many, acute care becomes a kind of Hotel California — they can check in but can never leave.
When someone isn’t well enough or safe enough to go home and the ongoing care and support they need isn’t available, they require an “Alternate Level of Care” (ALC) and remain in the hospital or emergency room even though it is no longer appropriate for their needs. And because that person can’t be discharged, someone else can’t be admitted.
This results in longer wait times in emergency rooms and delayed admissions to hospitals. According to a recent study published in the Canadian Geriatrics Journal, people living with cognitive impairments like dementia are at higher risk of needing an Alternate Level of Care. Half of all ALC days in Canada today are for someone living with dementia.
Part of the reason for this is that many people living with the disease need the support of a caregiver to safely return home, but many caregivers struggle with their own health due to burnout. Forty per cent of family caregivers for someone living with dementia report symptoms of distress, according to a 2024 report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
In 2023-24, there were 6,500 people waiting for a publicly-subsidized long-term care bed, a 150 per cent increase from five years ago.
To learn more about the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and how we support people on the dementia journey, visit alzheimerbc.org.
A message from the BC Rural Health Network:
We need your help. We are calling on caregivers and family members who care for someone needing LTC or who have family in LTC, to complete the new survey being distributed across British Columbia. Your voice is critical in shifting away from the business-as-usual approach. Please share your experiences by completing the survey. Please share this survey within your networks and communities to help us advocate for a system that truly meets the needs of our seniors. Click the image below to complete and share the survey:
Join us in making a difference. Complete the survey, spread the word, and let us come together to reshape long-term care for the better.
The BC Rural Health Network (BCRHN) is the healthcare voice of the rural residents of British Columbia and seeks better health outcomes for all people, through solutions-based approaches with governments, and information provision to residents.
The BCRHN is grateful to live, work, and be in relation with people from across many traditional and unceded homelands, covering all regions of British Columbia. We are honoured to live on this land and are committed to reconciliation, decolonization, and building relationships in our communities.
We are a registered charity listed as the RHC Education Foundation (dba. BC Rural Health Network) CRA# 70083 3130 RR0001
