Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The number of people with dementia is forecast to triple to an estimated 152 million worldwide by 2050, according to new data.
To make this prediction, researchers with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine analyzed data from 1999 to 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease study, which is a comprehensive set of health trends estimates worldwide. They also incorporated information on trends in dementia risk factors into the study.
They found that global dementia cases would increase from an estimated 57 million in 2019 to 152 million in 2050 with the highest increase in prevalence projected to be in eastern sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East.
According to their analysis, the projected increases could largely be attributed to population growth and aging, although they said the relative importance of these two factors varied by world region.
In terms of aging, the U.S. National Institute on Aging estimates that people over the age of 65 will make up 16 per cent of the world’s population by 2050 – up from eight per cent in 2010.
Interestingly, the team found that while positive trends in access to education around the world should decrease dementia prevalence by 6.2 million cases; anticipated trends in smoking, high body mass index (BMI), and high blood sugar are expected to counter that and increase the prevalence by 6.8 million cases.
Taken together, the researchers said, these opposing trends come close to “balancing each other out.”
“These estimates will allow policymakers and decision makers to better understand the expected increases in the number of individuals with dementia as well as the drivers of these increases in a given geographical setting,” Emma Nichols, a researcher with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in a release.
She added that the large anticipated increase in the number of individuals with dementia should emphasize the “vital need” for research on disease-modifying treatments and effective low-cost interventions for the prevention or delay of dementia.
Using the same data set, Nichols and her team were also able to estimate that Alzheimer’s mortality rates increased by 38 per cent between 1990 and 2019.
“Without effective treatments to stop, slow or prevent Alzheimer’s and all dementia, this number will grow beyond 2050 and continue to impact individuals, caregivers, health systems and governments globally,” Maria C. Carrillo, the chief science officer for the Alzheimer's Association, said in a release.
“In addition to therapeutics, it's critical to uncover culturally-tailored interventions that reduce dementia risk through lifestyle factors like education, diet and exercise.”
Nichols and her team presented their findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021 in Denver on Tuesday.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.