Today, almost 700 million people are now over the age of 60. With ageing, dementia is the number one public health disease and will be the ‘most serious health crisis of the 21st Century’. Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency among older people. The cost of caring for people with dementia is substantial, yet people with dementia rely on help from an informal carer (most of the time, women) receiving no paid wage or salary. Prevalence and incidence projections indicate that the number of people living with dementia will continue to grow, particularly among the oldest old, reaching 152 million by 2050 globally. In 2018, the total cost of dementia care surpassed US$1 trillion and will rise to US$2 trillion by 2030. Cost of care for informal caregivers is undoubtedly a complex area but regardless of how the costs are expressed and calculated, it is obvious that the contribution of informal caregivers, particularly from women, is substantial. How will dementia and cost of care further impact recovering economies in post-COVID-19? This 12th Session was delivered by Datin Jacqueline WM Wong (Honorary Advisor, demensia Brunei).