News and Stories

Please join us in congratulating these Bruyère investigators and their teams, who received funding from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) for their innovative projects! CABHI is a unique collaboration of health care, science, industry, not-for-profit, and government partners whose aim is to help improve quality of life for the world’s aging population. The below funding recipients at Bruyère are working on projects that will contribute to this vital goal.

 

James Downar, MDMC, Sabine Mersmann, OT Reg, Laurie Menard, RN, Declan Rowan, MD, and Pete Wegier, PhD received funding to test a computer application that uses hospital admission data to identify people who are at increased risk of dying in the coming year. The app then helps mobilize clinical teams to assess and address unmet palliative needs.

 

Peter Tanuseputro, MD, Doug Manuel, MD, Amy Hsu, PhD, and their team are developing a new online algorithm called RESPECT: Dementia. This is a tool that enables caregivers of people with dementia (PWD) to identify those with the greatest risk of further health decline. The team will test whether the algorithm produces meaningful health projections, if it can improve end-of-life discussions, reduce hospitalizations, and if it can help keep people home for longer.

 

Neil Thomas, MD, and his team are developing a system to provide real-time notifications to caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment. Information collected by a home-based sensor system will be used to provide real-time feedback to a caregiver so they can provide the best care possible.

 

Barb Farrell, PharmD, Lisa McCarthy, PharmD, Lalitha Raman-Wilms, PharmD, and Jamie Conklin, PhD are working on a community-based project to support and facilitate conversations between older adults, their caregivers, and their healthcare providers about better management of their medications--including when to continue or stop medications. It is centred around a series of interactive and educational events, and will allow older adults to more confidently navigate decisions about their medications, and improve their quality of life by living with more independence for longer.

 

Frank Knoefel, MD, and his team will be developing an innovative solution for monitoring the well-being of persons with dementia in retirement homes. Solutions such as smart lighting will reduce risk of falls by improving visibility should residents wander at night. Sensors can also alert staff that the resident has left their bed. This technology will be co-designed by clinicians, engineers, retirement home staff, and family members.

 

Jennifer O’Neil, PT, PhD (candidate), Shawn Marshall, MD, Wendy Sarsons, PT and Jacquie Levy, PT are investigating whether rehabilitation exercises can be supervised through an online video-call platform. This program is specifically targeted at people living with moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries in rural areas, who may not have access to the specialized services they need.

 

You can see a list of CABHI grant recipients and details about their projects here.

 

Congratulations to you all!