18 2020 BAYCREST IMPACT
It has been five years since a historic visionary and transformative investment was made to
establish the Baycrest-led Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) in Toronto.
Fueled by nearly $100 million in seed money from the federal and provincial governments at
the time, for an initial five-year trial mission to optimize the cognitive, emotional and physical
well-being of older adults – across Canada and around the world – CABHI's impact and success
to date has been profound and far-reaching.
The need for this innovation accelerator for the aging and brain health sector could not have
been more pronounced. As Canada's older adult (65+) population increases, so does the
prevalence of age-related brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, the principal cause of
dementia in seniors. More than 564,000 Canadians currently live with dementia
1
. That number
is expected to nearly double by 2031. Costs for the direct care of Canadian dementia patients
have been estimated at $10.4 billion
2
; the combined direct and indirect costs already exceed
$30 billion; and, of course, the physical and emotional costs to individuals and their caregivers
living with dementia are immeasurable.
HOW THE CENTRE FOR
AGING + BRAIN HEALTH
INNOVATION (CABHI) IS
IMPROVING THE AGING EXPERIENCE
IN CANADA
