Baycrest

T H E B R A I N P R O J E C T 2 0 1 7 6 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. Established in 1918 as the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home, it is now a multi-faceted academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. But to Elaine Lambert, Baycrest is a crucial lifeline as she cares for a spouse with frontotemporal dementia. Her husband—previously a strong, vibrant man; a litigation lawyer and a great dancer—now walks with difficulty, has almost completely lost speech and relies on her for every aspect of his care. Twice a week, he attends the Samuel Lunenfeld Mountainview Club at Baycrest. "There are 168 hours in a week, 24 hours a day for seven days, and for 158 hours, I am my husband's caregiver and I'm on constant duty. That includes at night because his nights are not necessarily peaceful," Lambert says. The 10 hours he spends at Baycrest are "the only hours where I can say that I am truly relaxed knowing that he is in good hands," she says. "He is cared for and he is safe. At Mountainview, everyone from the lovely young woman at reception to all care- givers and all the staff are so kind and so warm and so loving, and they engage him in programs and they give him a good lunch, and they treat him with dignity and respect. I am more grateful than I can say for this program and its staff." Lambert is also appreciative of an online caregiver support group offered by social workers at Baycrest. For the first time, she had the chance to meet others in her situation. They share and support one another. In the not-so-distant future, Toronto and the wider world will need a lot more of what Baycrest has to offer. The number of seniors aged 75 and over is expected to rise in Canada from 2.6 million to 5.7 million by the year 2037. Among this generation, surveys show their fear of cognitive decline is even greater than fears of heart disease and cancer. Proceeds from the TELUS Health Brain Project are part of what we all hope will be the solution. Not only do they support programs that make life easier for people like the Lamberts, they fuel the search for ways to prevent or slow the progression of brain disease. Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute is a world leader in cognitive neuroscience in the area of human memory and aging, while the Baycrest-led Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation is acceler- ating the development and testing of a wide variety of products and services that help older adults age safely in their homes. As Baycrest enters its second century, it is redefining quality of life for older adults and designing a better future with your health in mind. Thank you for your support! BAYCREST IS A 'LIFELINE'

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