News release
Dementia and caregiving: a BC-wide online event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Victoria, BC — May 20, 2025In recognition of National Caregiver Awareness Month, Mariko Sakamoto—assistant professor of nursing at the University of Victoria and host of the Call to Mind podcast—is hosting and moderating a free online event May 26 (7 to 8:30 p.m.), called “Shared Stories, Stronger Connections: A Story-based Gathering on Dementia and Caregiving.”
Sakamoto—a researcher and expert in health care for older adults with complex conditions such as dementia—designed the event for caregivers, individuals living with dementia, healthcare professionals, and community members from across BC to explore how personal stories can reduce the stigma around dementia, build community and advocate for change.
The event will highlight storytellers and themes from the second season of Call to Mind: Audio Diaries of Love and Memory Loss, released earlier this year. This award-winning podcast features intimate audio diaries recorded by care partners of family members living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
“Caregivers are critical to supporting people living with dementia in our communities, especially since we have many people needing to age in place for as long as possible.”— Mariko Sakamoto
EVENT SPEAKERS:
Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate
Barb MacLean, Family Caregivers of BC, Executive Director
Cari Randa-Beaulieu, Alzheimer Society of BC, Provincial Coordinator of Knowledge Mobilization
Ashley Sharma, podcast storyteller, 24-year-old social worker from Abbotsford and primary caregiver to her grandmother, Devki.
Lana-Michele Armstrong, podcast storyteller who lives with her father Ren and their large family on a horse farm in rural BC near Kamloops.
For more info and to register to attend: calltomindpodcast.com/events2025
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Ashley Sharma can speak about her experience as a full-time student with two part-time jobs when she became one of the primary caregivers for her nani, Devki, in their multi-generational home in Abbotsford. She can also speak about racism and gaps in the healthcare system, and the need for human-centred and culturally sensitive supports. Listen to Becoming a Granddaughter Again.
Mariko Sakamoto can speak about the state of dementia caregiving in BC and Canada; the heavy lifting done by family caregivers in a fractured health-care system; the need for more resources, funding and culturally diverse supports for caregivers; and her research findings showing the positive impacts of creative interventions such as supported storytelling, audio diaries and podcasting.
KEY STATS:
Current numbers and projections of dementia for BC:
As of 2022, approximately 85,800 people in BC are living with dementia and researchers project as many as 247,300 people will have a diagnosis by 2050—a 218 per cent increase. (source)
The prevalence of dementia is the third-highest rate in Canada. (source)
Dementia caregiving numbers and projections for BC:
An estimated 50,400 family, friends and neighbours provided approximately 45,000 unpaid hours of support to people in BC living with dementia in 2020. (source)
This is projected to increase to 144,900 by 2050. (source)
The overwhelming majority of care partners are adult children and spouses, 88 per cent of whom are of working age. (source)
Women continue to disproportionately bear caregiving responsibilities. (source)
In BC, 34% of caregivers report experiencing distress—defined as feelings of anger, depression, or inability to continue caregiving activities. (source)
###
📸 MEDIA KIT (Google Drive) to download audio, transcripts, photos and other assets.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dr. Mariko Sakamoto
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, UVic and Host of Call to Mind podcast
msakamoto@uvic.ca; 604-727-6099
Suzanne Ahearne
Executive Producer, Call to Mind podcast and Project Coordinator, Sakamoto Lab, UVic
sahearne@uvic.ca; 250-213-1705