Public Health.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gerontology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Up to 40% of dementia risk is modifiable, yet current interventions primarily focus on individual behavior change, limiting scalable impact.
• Canada, a leader in dementia research, lacks robust policy for dementia prevention and risk reduction.
• Existing policies often neglect the social context crucial for effective, large-scale dementia risk mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review Canadian dementia strategies and policies.
• To assess the focus on population-level prevention and risk reduction.
• To identify gaps in current policy frameworks within the Canadian context.

Main Methods:

• Searched primary research databases and grey literature for dementia policy documents.
• Included active, finalized policy documents from Canadian provincial or federal authorities.
• Analyzed policies for priorities in prevention/risk reduction, equity, and implementation.

Main Results:

• Only seven of thirteen provinces/territories and a national strategy addressed dementia.
• Prevention and risk reduction were included in only half of the strategies, limited to public awareness.
• Few strategies included implementation plans or dedicated funding, and only some involved people with lived experience.

Conclusions:

• Canadian dementia policy inadequately prioritizes population-based prevention and risk reduction strategies.
• Future dementia strategies must emphasize scalable, population-level approaches for significant and equitable reductions in dementia prevalence.
• Incorporating lived experience, organizational accountability, and dedicated funding is essential for successful policy implementation.