Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CaSHA)

A Canada-wide study of the epidemiology of dementias was initiated in the summer of 1990 with the support of Health and Welfare Canada. The four objectives are to estimate the prevalence of dementias among elderly Canadian citizens, to determine the risk factors for dementia of the Alzheimer type, to describe the current pattern of caring for demented patients and assess the burden on informal caregivers, and to establish a uniform database for future incidence and longitudinal studies of dementias. Trained interviewers will screen a representative sample of senior citizens in the community. The screening is followed by a standardized clinical assessment for putative cases of dementia, for institutionalized patients and for a number of controls. Diagnosis will follow DSM-III-R criteria for dementia, the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for dementia of the Alzheimer type and the ICD-10 criteria for other dementias. A sample of cases and controls will then enter the caregiver and risk factor sub-studies.