De quoi consiste cette étude ?

Increasing evidence shows that listening to music from childhood and early adulthood can help recall meaningful events from the past. Importantly, people with dementia have shown to benefit from listening to personally meaningful music, suggesting that musical memory remains preserved. However, the underlying mechanisms by which music improves memory remains unclear.

My research addresses the impact of an autobiographically salient music listening program on memory and brain activity in mild cognitive impairment. Understanding how brainwave activity in this population may differ, will help elucidate mechanisms of music listening that lead to cognitive improvements, ultimately providing insight into musical memory preservation and how it can be leveraged.

Participants will undergo cognitive testing and measure brainwave activity via EEG, a non-invasive neuroimaging method. Participants will be provided an online link (or CD if they do not have wifi) to access their personalized music playlist and will be asked to listen for two weeks at home (20 mins/day, minimum 5 days/wk). Repeated cognitive and EEG assessment will help determine changes in brain function.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

We are looking to understand what social cognitive symptoms informal caregivers are seeing from their loved one in early dementia and how frequently they occur. Additionally, we want to understand the impact of these symptoms on caregivers' well-being.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

‘Bootle Blast’ combines therapy and video games. It has been used with children and youth with musculoskeletal disabilities in clinics and homes. Preliminary research supports Bootle Blast’s ability to engage players and support physical outcomes. Informal testing suggests it may also appeal to older adults. This study will test Bootle Blast’s feasibility with people with dementia. Pairs of people with dementia and their caregivers (n=10) will play Bootle Blast at home for 2 weeks. Data will include video recordings, surveys, balance tests, safety and adherence tracking, and interviews. This study aims to inform a more accessible version of Bootle Blast.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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”.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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.

De quoi consiste cette étude ?

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.