The world can be a scary and confusing place when your can't remember.  Unrecognizable faces and places and repeated actions can become a way of life, and aren't a normal part of aging.  They are the common signs of Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia.

And according to a new Canadian study, diagnosed dementia cases will have skyrocketed by 2038.  That's not news Laura-Lynn Bourassa wants to hear.  "It's concerning to know what will happen in the next 30 years if we don't have a national dementia prevention strategy," said Bourassa, education co-ordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Greater Simcoe County. "There's still a lot of fear associated with Alzheimer's Disease and the thought that a loved one could one day be diagnosed with it."

The 2009 study, Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society, suggests that by 2038, one Canadian every two minutes will develop dementia.  Also, the associated health care costs will soar to $153 billion a year from $15 billion a year, and the total cumulative costs will skyrocket to $872 billion over the next 30 years.

In that same time period, the number of Ontarians living with dementia will be nearly 400,000, with annual cases tripling to more than 98,000.

In Simcoe County, there are more than 6,000 residents affected by dementia.

By 2016, the Alzheimer Society of Greater Simcoe County projects having more than 33,000 residents in the area living with dementia.

These numbers are so new and so alarming," Bourassa said. "We want to see those numbers lower and we need people to be thinking more about their mental health.

"I definitely feel, as a society, we're getting better at understanding dementia and doctors are getting better at diagnosing it," she added.

The society is holding a press conference on Monday at 12:30 p.m. at the Barrie City Hall Rotunda to help strengthen that understanding and help the public digest these staggering figures.

Guest speaker David Harvey, of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, will speak in more detail about the study and what it means for the mental health of Canadians.

The local branch will also hold its first flag raising ceremony following the conference outside city hall, to recognize January as Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.

"It's our first ever flag raising, and anything like that we can do to help reduce Alzheimer's Disease, we'll do," Bourassa said. "The more people understand Alzheimer's, the more support's out there and the more people can help prevent it in their own lives."