Stigma against dementia

Stigma is one of the biggest barriers for people living with dementia to live fully with dignity and respect. Help us fight stigma by learning more about its effects and taking steps to reduce its impact.

What is stigma against dementia?

  • Stigma against dementia encompasses any negative attitude or discriminatory behaviour against people living with dementia, just on the basis of having the disease.
  • When a disease is as prevalent as dementia, yet still poorly understood, it's easy for false beliefs to spread. Left unchallenged, these beliefs perpetuate stigmatizing attitudes against people living with dementia, reducing their quality of life.
  • These attitudes extend to the families and caregivers of people living with dementia, affecting them as well.
  • The unfortunate reality is that any person living with dementia is very likely to encounter stigma – even though dementia can affect anyone. No one is immune to the risks of dementia, and there is no cure or treatment that can guarantee prevention.
  • People living with dementia did not choose to have this disease, and they certainly don't appreciate being labelled and ignored, among other negative responses, due to their diagnosis.

Stigma takes many forms

There are many ways that stigma can negatively impact the lives of people living with dementia, their families and their caregivers:

  • Lack of awareness about dementia
  • Harmful and misleading assumptions
  • Negative language
  • Belittlement and jokes
  • No support after diagnosis
  • Stigma by association
  • Loss of self-worth

People living with dementia are experiencing stigma right now

Even though more than half a million Canadians live with dementia, many feel excluded, ignored and treated differently for something beyond their control.

If you know a person living with dementia, chances are they've experienced discrimination that they wouldn't have faced if they didn't have dementia.

Sadly, while most Canadians acknowledge that dementia is a serious disease, and that people living with dementia are likely to experience discrimination, attitudes that reinforce stigma against dementia are still common.

Together, we can fight the impact of stigma

Positive change starts with learning. When you know the facts behind dementia, you will be able to challenge assumptions and false beliefs when they appear. By sharing your knowledge, you can reduce the negative impact of stigma against people living with dementia, families and caregivers.

Click the link below to learn about direct action you can take to fight stigma against dementia, or keep scrolling down to learn more about the many initiatives that are reducing stigma against dementia in Canada.

People living with dementia are sharing their experiences with stigma

There is perhaps no better way to know what stigma is than to listen to the people who have experienced it firsthand.

Every January, the Alzheimer Society supports Alzheimer's Awareness Month. We encourage you to visit ilivewithdementia.ca to read the stories of people living with dementia, families and caregivers. Let them help you understand what it's like to live with dementia and face stigma.

Canada needs to do more to fight stigma

Stigma doesn't just happen on a personal level – negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviours can be reinforced on a systemic level, too.

That's why it's important that Canadians support the first-ever national dementia strategy, which will take concrete action to eliminate stigma and support dementia-friendly communities throughout the country.

An effective, fully-funded strategy will also improve standards of care for people living with dementia. This is especially vital for people living with dementia receiving support and treatment in hospitals and long-term care homes.

People living with dementia have a right to be free from discrimination

The Alzheimer Society worked with people living with dementia to launch the first-ever Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia.

Among the seven explicit rights of the Charter, the first right is the right to to be free from discrimination of any kind.

We need to build a dementia-friendly Canada now

People living with dementia want to live as well as possible and participate in their communities – but stigma often remains a barrier. You can help remove this barrier by helping your community become dementia-friendly.

Dementia-Friendly Canada is an initiative that will create tools, education and programming that will allow for the development of dementia-friendly communities across the Canada.

More useful links and resources

2017 Awareness survey executive summary. Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2017. We surveyed over 1,500 Canadians to measure their attitudes and perceptions of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Read the results.

ilivewithdementia.ca. Alzheimer Society, 2020. Part of Alzheimer's Awareness Month, this microsite lets you read the stories of people living with dementia, families and caregivers. You can also learn more about stigma and find the closest Alzheimer Society to you.

Dementia in New Light: A Digital Learning Experience. 2022. This digital learning experience was developed by the research team of Dr. Pia Kontos, Dr. Sherry Dupuis, Dr. Gail J. Mitchell and Dr. Christine Jonas-Simpson. It is a free, interactive educational tool about stigma associated with dementia and how this can be challenged to support people to live well with dementia.

Flipping Stigma Toolkit. Flipping Stigma Action Group and Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia research team, 2022. Designed by people living with dementia, the people who support them, and those who do research  to address the challenges of stigma and discrimination.

How can we include people with dementia in our community? Freedem Films, 2013. If you have been diagnosed with dementia you need a community that is inclusive, understanding and friendly. This video was created by Dr. Sabina Brennan of Trinity College Dublin and Trinity Brain Health. Permission to use this video was granted by Trinity Brain Health, which reserves all rights.

Jim's Story - Dementia Friendly Communities. City of Vancouver, 2015. The City of Vancouver is working in partnership with the Alzheimer Society to build inclusive dementia-friendly communities. Jim Mann, who has been living with dementia for eight years, shares his experience.

World Alzheimer Report 2012: Overcoming the stigma of dementia. Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI). This global-focused report highlights ten key recommendations to overcome the stigma of dementia. It also shares results from a global survey on stigma conducted with people living with dementia and caregivers.

Myths and realities of dementia

Myths and misconceptions about Alzheimer's disease and dementia abound: what it is, who gets it, and how it affects the people who have it. These myths stand in the way of understanding the disease and helping those affected.

Learn more
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#ilivewithdementia

Take a moment to hear the stories of people living with dementia, caregivers and families. You'll quickly see that it's not an "old person's disease." And it doesn't signal the end of a life. What's true is it happens in stages, but what is always constant is that there are still lives to be lived, dreams to pursue and people to love.

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My hope for the future is more care, compassion, and understanding.

Canada's national dementia strategy

On June 17, 2019, the Government of Canada released the country’s first-ever national dementia strategy: A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Aspire. On this page, learn more about the strategy, what it means for Canadians and why it needs to be fully funded.

Learn more
Your guide to Canada's national dementia strategy.

Dementia-Friendly Canada

By the end of the decade, almost one million Canadians will live with dementia. The impact of dementia is and will continue to be felt across all borders, sectors and cultures. We must act and build a dementia-friendly Canada now.

Learn more
A senior man living with dementia is being helped by a friendly retail worker.