New $30M donation to help 7 Toronto organizations tackle dementia

Physicians and researchers who specialize in dementia care and prevention say a new $30-million donation to seven Toronto hospitals and organizations will significantly bolster their programming.

And they say the money is coming at a crucial time — as the health-care system faces a rapidly aging population and growing needs.

The Slaight Family Foundation, a charity founded by media magnate Allan Straight, announced the large gift Tuesday. 

Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing at Toronto Metropolitan University, says the number of Canadians with dementia is increasing. 

He points to a 2022 study by the Alzheimer's Society of Canada that estimates close to 1.7 million people will have dementia by 2050, believed to represent 3.6 per cent of the population. As of 2020, about 600,000 people in Canada had dementia, or about 1.6 per cent of the population. 

That's why this donation will be "transformative", he said. 

"The greatest risk factor for dementia is just age. The older you get, the higher the risk you'll be living with dementia...so just by nature of our population aging, we're going to see many more Canadians living with dementia," he said. 

According to the Alzheimer's society, dementia is an overall term for the symptoms caused by brain disorders that can cause cognitive failures around thinking and memory. Alzheimer's disease refers to a specific type of dementia that primarily impacts memory. 

Some form of memory loss is normal for people over age 65. But to have your memory deteriorate to the point where you cannot take care of yourself, is abnormal, according to the society. 

"This gift is really going to help people prevent dementia, but it's also going to make sure that we can better support better ways of delivering care and conducting the research we need," said Sinha.

The money will be doled out to seven organizations, including:

Sinha helped the foundation learn more about which organizations to give the money to. He says not only will it go toward treatment, it will also help with public education and awareness of how to recognize signs of dementia and assess brain health.

Terry Smith, the program director at the Slaight Foundation says the organization decided to make the donation because dementia is an illness that many people have experience with in their families. 

"Quite frankly, there is not a lot of support for those living with dementia. It just is something we feel, if there's something that can be done, then maybe the foundation can provide some support," she said.