This enactment establishes the National Alzheimer Office within the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Preamble

Whereas Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are progressive, degenerative diseases of the brain that produce impairment of thought processes and memory and changes in abilities and behaviour, erode independence and eventually cause death;

Whereas, in Canada, there are more than 500,000 persons living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia;

Whereas, as Canada’s population ages, the number of Canadians diagnosed with these diseases is expected to double within a generation;

And whereas research, early diagnosis and support for treatment can lead to positive health outcomes for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and can have a positive impact on the family and friends who provide care for them;

2006, c. 5

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

Annual report

12 (1) The Chief Public Health Officer shall, within six months after the end of each fiscal year, submit a report to the Minister on the state of public health in Canada Insertion start and on the effectiveness of the national plan referred to in section 12.‍2, including any recommendations regarding the implementation of the plan Insertion end .

National Alzheimer Office

Establishment of Office

12.‍1 (1) The National Alzheimer Office is established within the Agency.

Chief Public Health Officer to preside

(2) The Chief Public Health Officer presides over the Office.

Mandate

(3) The mandate of the Office is to accomplish the following:

• (a) develop and implement a national plan to address all aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;

• (b) make recommendations to the Minister on ways to strengthen Canada’s capacity to care for and deliver programs to persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia;

• (c) convene a round table of persons interested in matters respecting Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia; and

• (d) support the Minister in his or her efforts to coordinate, with international bodies, the Canadian contribution to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

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National plan

12.‍2 (1) The national plan is developed in cooperation with representatives of the provincial and territorial governments responsible for health, health care professionals and other caregivers, basic and clinical researchers, and advocacy groups with an interest in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Purpose

(2) The purpose of the plan is to set out specific national objectives in order to improve the situation of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, to improve diagnostic and treatment capabilities and to decrease the burden of these diseases on Canadian society.

Content

(3) The plan shall include measures

• (a) to accelerate the discovery and development of treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;

• (b) to coordinate research in clinical populations while ensuring the inclusion in this research of populations at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia as well as of those least likely to receive care;

• (c) to disseminate emerging clinical diagnostic and treatment guidelines based on new research;

• (d) to establish and disseminate best practices for improving the quality of life of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and supporting health care professionals and other caregivers;

• (e) to develop and disseminate information on the importance of prevention, early intervention and management of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia to health care professionals and other caregivers as well as to the general public;

• (f) to encourage greater investment in all areas of research on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia; and

• (g) to increase the availability of specialists — including geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists and advanced practice nurses — with specialized knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and to make the best use of those resources through interprofessional collaboration.

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