Baycrest

INNOVATION and technology: the future of healthy aging I nnovations in aging and brain health play an increasingly important role in determining the quality of life of older adults, their families, and caregivers. The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), powered by Baycrest, enables and accelerates the testing of promising solutions in real-world care settings, to the benefit of all of us as we age. Over the past four years, CABHI has funded more than 210 projects from across Ontario, Canada, and around the world, and validated them in more than 100 care sites across North America. In addition to financial support and clinical validation, CABHI provides innovators with acceleration services and access to its global networks of partners. In September 2018, CABHI, in partnership with National Bank, announced the launch of a new program called Mentorship, Capital and Continuation (MC2), to accelerate innovations for the aging population, from bench to bedside, more quickly and efficiently. Through MC2, CABHI will provide additional supports to promising CABHI projects that are ready for scale-up, enabling them to take their market-ready solutions to the next level – and, in turn, allow for products and services to become more widely accessible to older adults and caregivers in Canada and beyond. Baycrest@Home, which is launching soon to make it easier for people to age in their own homes, is exploring the use of some products and services that have come through the CABHI pipeline. Below are just a few of the innovative projects supported by CABHI. To learn more, visit cabhi.com. SOCIAL ROBOT COMPANION ElliQ is a social robot that aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness amongst older adults by providing companionship, enrichment and support. ElliQ acts both as an assistant – by providing reminders of calendar appointments, receiving and sending messages, displaying photos from family and friends – and as a companion, by acknowledging the older adult when they enter a room, wishing them good morning, greeting them when they come home, and more. CABHI'S ROLE: CABHI helped broker a relationship between Intuition Robotics, the company behind ElliQ, and two independent living homes (including the Terraces of Baycrest) to test the extent to which ElliQ can decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation in seniors. The validation testing, co-funded by CABHI, is currently underway. DEMENTIA CARE FOR LGBTQ+ SENIORS LGBTQ+ seniors may face unique challenges in long-term care because of social stigma. Aging Out is an initiative that disseminates best practices in LGBTQ+ aging, health, and dementia care, through specialized training for point-of-care, spiritual care, and other staff. The project also helps management review current practices with fresh eyes, to ensure a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ residents. CABHI'S ROLE: With CABHI support, the Boston- based project is collaborating with Baycrest and other long-term care centres to implement training sessions for staff about safety, sensitivity, confidentiality, and other issues specific to LGBTQ+ individuals living with dementia. The project team is also developing a series of e-learning modules. 16 BrainMatters FALL/WINTER 2019

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