Provincial election 2024: Our priorities

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is asking people from across the province to speak up about dementia in the lead-up to the 2024 provincial election. We’re asking candidates to commit to a funded dementia strategy and prioritize breaking down stigma and isolation, improving the diagnosis experience and ensuring access to the right support at the right time. You can view the whole campaign at BCVotesDementia.ca.

Why is taking action important this election season?

Approximately 85,000 people in British Columbia are currently living with dementia, a number expected to grow to almost a quarter-million by 2050. B.C. urgently needs a provincial dementia strategy to ensure people affected by dementia – no matter what their cultural background is or where they live – can live as well as possible. This strategy must address the harmful effects of stigma, make it easier to get a dementia diagnosis and improve home support and long-term care systems so people can get the right care, when and where they need it. B.C. is a diverse province; to address challenges, it is important that supports are culturally relevant and safe.

“Canada now has a national dementia strategy, which is great, but this is a large, diverse country and B.C. needs to have a strategy that aligns with this national strategy while focusing on the specific needs of B.C.” - A caregiver

What are we calling for?

In a recent public opinion survey of attitudes towards dementia in B.C., 89 per cent of respondents agreed that a government strategy to support people living with dementia is important to them and 51 per cent indicated that a party with a strategy would be more likely to get their vote. This provincial election, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is asking all B.C. political parties and their candidates to commit to a funded dementia strategy that prioritizes the following areas:

 

• Help break down stigma and social isolation: Stigma has a profound impact on people living with dementia, as well as families, friends and care partners. It can make people delay the diagnosis or reluctant to seek help. It also contributes to feelings of shame, lowers self-worth and can result in social isolation.

 

• Improve the diagnosis experience: People living with dementia and their care partners tell us getting a diagnosis is difficult, and that once they get one, they do not have clarity about what happens next or if the supports they need will be available. A timely diagnosis gives people an opportunity to plan and access treatment and support that may help slow the progression of the disease.

 

• Ensure the right support is available at the right time: People living with dementia are falling through the cracks. It is a crisis that will continue to put pressure on family caregivers and our systems of care unless it is addressed. We need to enhance the quality and accessibility of existing services to ensure that people affected by dementia receive the support they need, when and where they need it.