Women make up 72 per cent of Alzheimer’s patients in Canada and nearly the same percentage give up years of their lives as family caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Society says as it launches a new awareness campaign.

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, a condition that affects 747,000 Canadians. Age is a significant risk factor for dementia, and because women live longer than men, there are more of them suffering from symptoms that include memory loss, impaired judgment, and personality and behavioural changes.

Alzheimer’s has no known cause, and there is no cure. Medications can only manage symptoms, but do not impact disease progression.