What is this Study about?

Baycrest is launching the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Aging, the world’s first research-driven community centre evaluating the effects on brain health of providing personalized dementia-risk reduction programming. As part of that study, participants will complete six surveys to help us determine their dementia risk across five lifestyle domains: physical activity, brain-healthy eating, cognitive engagement, social connections, and mental wellbeing. Although we are using validated scales for these domains, we would like to better understand how people typically perform. For example, norms do not exist for all of our participants’ age range, some of the norms are outdated, and most are not from Canadians. Moreover, participants will repeat these scales every six months, so we can tell them if they have made significant gains, but we don’t know how much of a change is needed to be a clear improvement, and not just “noise”.

What is this Study about?

By understanding the perspectives of various stakeholders involved in dementia care within Ontario health teams, we aim to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with dementia in Ontario.

What is this Study about?

Scientific evidence indicates that healthy lifestyle habits promote brain health and help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Our study consists of evaluating a personalized program designed to promote healthy lifestyle habits with the goal of supporting brain health.

This program, called Luci, is available as an online platform with virtual guidance from an advisor. Its purpose is to help participants change their lifestyle habits. It focuses on three areas: physical activity, healthy eating, and intellectual stimulation.

The aim of this study is to determine whether our program helps improve lifestyle habits in these three areas, along with other indicators linked to brain health.

What is this Study about?

This review examines the implementation of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) across Canada. It explores the perspectives of patients, families, and friends involved in the MAiD process, capturing the human dimensions of end-of-life care. Emphasis is placed on understanding the impact of different MAiD delivery models utilized across jurisdictions. By analyzing these lived experiences, the review aims to identify strengths, challenges, and areas for improvement in MAiD service delivery across different jurisdictions. Insights from this project will inform policy, enhance equity in access, and support compassionate, paerson-centered care for all Canadians navigating the MAiD process.

What is this Study about?

This study consists of a 45-60 minutes virtual interview to better understand the experiences of familial caregivers of persons with dementia.

What is this Study about?

This study looks at how an at-home nature-based virtual reality (VR) program may help people living with Alzheimer’s disease manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as depression. Caregivers/study partners will have the option of taking part in the study and providing feedback regarding the VR intervention. This project will explore how VR can be used as a non-pharmacological approach to prolong aging in place for individuals with BPSD, as BPSD contributes to rates of institutionalization. This will take place completely remotely, in your own home.

What is this Study about?

In collaboration with our South Asian community collaborators, our goal is to gain an in-depth understanding of new immigrant, multigenerational, South Asian family caregiving for a relative with dementia amidst COVID-19. The goal is to inform future family-centered, healthcare interventions aimed at supporting equity deserving families during times of crisis.

To achieve our goal, we are starting to recruit family care partners living in a multigenerational home and caring for a relative with dementia from each of the four groups of South Asian families. We will be using a multiple case study to examine new immigrant, multigenerational caregiving for a relative with dementia from the perspective of four groups of South Asian families; 1) Pakistani, 2) Bangladeshi, 3) Indian, and 4) Sri Lankan. We will also be using secondary data sources, including genograms, ecoMaps, and key documents.

We will be conducting interviews with a family care partners from each of the four groups. Following these interviews, we will hold four focus groups with a new purposeful sample of South Asian multigenerational care partners to understand if the findings from the interviews reflect their caregiving experiences thereby increasing the reliability of the study findings.

What is this Study about?

Seeking individuals with mild, early-stage dementia ages 65+ to explore how they access daily information like weather forecasts and newspapers. The study aims to improve information accessibility for the dementia community. Participation involves a 60-90 minute session (in-person or via Zoom with caregiver) observing information access behaviors. Findings will guide strategies for making information more comprehensible and accessible. Participants will receive $50 for their time. This study is approved by York University’s ethics committee (#2024-176). For details, contact Dr. Somang Nam at somang@yorku.ca.

What is this Study about?

We are interested in how the brain changes in aging and with dementia. With this study, we will investigate how the brain senses and interprets sights and sounds. We are particularly interested in how listening to music, especially familiar music, evokes emotions and activates vivid memories. Learning how the brain processes music will help us understand why music therapy is such an effective tool for those with Alzheimer’s. We also aim to understand how the brain combines sights and sounds. This is an important part of how we navigate complex everyday situations, such as walking down a busy street. Alzheimer’s disease interferes with the brain’s ability to combine information from different senses, which could cause challenges in daily living.