Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation invests $8.3 M in seniors care innovations

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twenty-six new projects are receiving an investment of more than $8.3 million from the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI)  to accelerate solutions that can help improve the quality of life and care for older adults with dementia and cognitive health issues.

Among the funded projects:

• A home-based appliance that organizes and accurately dispenses multiple medications for older adults with chronic illnesses.
• A social network that provides peace of mind to families, by enabling them to search for qualified, reliable caregivers who can provide in-home care designed to mitigate physical and cognitive decline for their loved ones.
• A brain health assessment tool that can help older adults answer the question: “Is my memory normal or should I see my doctor?”

The projects are part of three new CABHI programs: the Industry Innovation Partnership Program, the Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program, and the Knowledge Mobilization Partnership Program.  Led by researchers, clinicians and companies worldwide, the projects promote public and private collaborations among several industry and healthcare organizations. These organizations are working together to test solutions and/or support dissemination and adoption of innovations in the seniors care sector -- helping to drive economic development in Ontario, Canada and beyond. 

Health care ecosystem embraces innovation

According to the World Health Organization approximately 47.5 million people worldwide have dementia and 7.7 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Enter CABHI, led by Baycrest Health Sciences. In 2015, CABHI was established to accelerate innovative solutions in the seniors care sector that can help to improve the quality of life and care for older adults living with dementia or experiencing cognitive challenges. The Centre’s programs support health care professionals, researchers and companies worldwide to develop, test and bring innovative solutions to the seniors care sector at an accelerated pace. In doing so, CABHI fosters a culture of innovation in the seniors care sector across Canada, and increases the capacity for testing and adoption of new and innovative solutions that will transform health care for older adults. Funding for CABHI is provided by the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and the Baycrest Foundation.

Quotes from CABHI & Innovators

“CABHI is a key facilitator of collaborations among innovators, healthcare providers, private and public sector partners, government and consumers. Through CABHI, we are continually testing and scientifically validating brain health technologies and care practices both on our campus and offsite with partner organizations, leading to quicker adoption and uptake in the market. We will continue to do this critical work, thanks to the generous support from all our government partners,” said Dr. William Reichman, President and CEO, Baycrest Health Sciences and CABHI.  

“This funding from CABHI will help us disseminate our solution for individualized medication management for long-term care residents living with dementia more broadly across the province, allowing for greater adoption and resulting in increased safety and quality of care for residents taking multiple medications,” said Candace Chartier, Chief Executive Officer and Project Lead at Ontario Long Term Care Association.

“CABHI funding will enable us to test Karie, an automated medication delivery device, in a real health care setting. This solution aims to improve the quality of life of older adults by enabling them to manage their multiple medications independently, while delivering important updates to family members, caregivers, or physicians should doses be regularly missed,” said Spencer Waugh, CEO of Ace-Age. “The support of CABHI in brokering this relationship and providing the funding for this testing will help us to commercialize our solution in the Canadian market, and generate the evidence to prove that Karie will improve quality of life for seniors.”

Quotes from funders

“Ontario is taking a leadership role in advancing innovation in the aging and brain health sectors in Canada, to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers. Our investment in the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation demonstrates our government’s commitment to ensuring that innovators have access to the supports they need to help drive innovative growth and solutions in these critical areas,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.

"As the Government of Canada works toward developing a national dementia strategy, we continue to engage with both public and private sector to lever innovations that will improve cognitive health and quality of life,” said the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. “Through CABHI’s innovation programs, we are supporting collaboration among companies, seniors’ care providers, healthcare organizations, clients and their families to accelerate the validation and adoption of innovations in aging and brain health.”

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) is a solution accelerator for the aging and brain health sector, providing support to innovators for the development, testing, and dissemination of new ideas and technologies that address unmet brain health and seniors' care needs. Established in 2015, it is the result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history. Led by Baycrest Health Sciences, 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, allowing older adults to age safely in the setting of their choice while maintaining their cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. For more information on CABHI, please visit: www.cabhi.com.

Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti -- a free online memory assessment for Canadians 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Through its dedicated centres, the organization offers unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: www.baycrest.org.

Media Contact:

Arielle Zomer

Senior Communications Specialist

CABHI

416-785-2500 ext. 6086
azomer@baycrest.org