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Category: Canada Posts

Puzzles for Good
Puzzles for Good supports the Alzheimer Society

Puzzles for Good supports the Alzheimer Society

By: Kirsten Wreggitt, Chief Puzzle Constructor at Puzzles for Good My Grandma made me pancakes in the shape of anything I could imagine – giraffes, Mickey Mouse, unicorns, and of course full moons. Those childhood breakfasts are cherished memories of family gathered together with Grandma at the center in her frilly apron. I remember that she laughed easily, always had a lap for you to sit in, and that she loved frogs. Of course, Kermit the Frog was her favourite,…

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highway
Dementia and air pollution: should we flee to the country?

Dementia and air pollution: should we flee to the country?

Could living in a major city increase your risk of dementia? A new study suggests that may be the case. After studying over two million Ontarians over an 11-year period, researchers found that the closer they lived to a major roadway, the more likely they were to develop dementia. Those who had lived in urban areas for a long time were even more likely to develop the condition than those who had moved more recently. These findings suggest one culprit…

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Research Video Series: Introducing Marco Prado

Research Video Series: Introducing Marco Prado

Dr. Marco Prado’s research aims to address the mechanisms by which deficient cholinergic circuits contribute to dementia. He is an Alzheimer Society Research Program Biomedical Research Grant recipient and a professor at the University of Western Ontario. Let’s make sure that aging does not mean losing one’s identity. -Dr. Marco Prado Dr. Marco Prado Biomedical Grant Recipient in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia – $149,128 Project: Mechanisms of anti-cholinergic activity mediated dementia and Alzheimer’s pathology Read about more of our grants…

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Research Video Series: Introducing Laura Hamilton

Research Video Series: Introducing Laura Hamilton

Dr. Laura Hamilton is testing the efficacy of a new therapeutic target (stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD)-1) to improve learning and memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease using a mouse model. Laura is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Montréal and is this year’s Alzheimer Society Research Program Spark Award Recipient. The potential to contribute to a better quality of life for millions of people motivates me every day. -Dr. Laura Hamilton Dr. Laura Hamilton Spark Postdoctoral Fellowship in Alzheimer’s Disease…

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Research Video Series: Introducing Stephanie Chamberlain

Research Video Series: Introducing Stephanie Chamberlain

Trained as a personal support worker in long-term care, Stephanie Chamberlain is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Alberta. There, she is assessing the impact of court-appointed public guardianship on the health and care needs of long-term care residents. Stephanie is the Alzheimer Society Research Program’s first Revera Scholar. It is essential that we improve quality of life and quality of care to those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia because how we treat a life that has been…

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Research Video Series: Introducing Dr. Rahel Rabi

Research Video Series: Introducing Dr. Rahel Rabi

At the University of Toronto, Rahel Rabi’s research focuses on diagnosis and detection, where she is working hard to identify the cognitive biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this video, Rahel describes her research funded by the Alzheimer Society Research Program in her own words. Scientists have made remarkable strides in understanding Alzheimer’s disease, and with recent advances in research involving novel techniques, we can work towards finding a cure. -Rahel Rabi Rahel Rabi Rawlinson Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Alzheimer’s…

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Brain cells
What this week’s Nobel Prize in Medicine announcement means for dementia research

What this week’s Nobel Prize in Medicine announcement means for dementia research

This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discoveries on how cells eat themselves. That’s right – Ohsumi conducted experiments in the 1990s on how cells break down and recycle their components, literally eating themselves to remove damaged content and provide building blocks for cell regeneration. This process is called “autophagy”, a term that was actually coined in 1963 by Belgian scientist Christian de Duve, who also received a Nobel Prize for his work in this area….

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Sharing a cup of support

Sharing a cup of support

Holly Kotowich and Penny Leclair, employees at Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger Lawyers, have hosted Coffee Break® events at their workplace since 2007. “We host a Coffee Break event every year because we have staff and employers who deal with Alzheimer’s disease. Every year, it seems we learn somebody close to us has dealt with Alzheimer’s,” says Holly. Coffee Break events can be hosted at your workplace, home, school or anywhere you can serve coffee. Holly says hosting a Coffee Break increases…

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Verna Mowat
Coffee Break® brings the community together

Coffee Break® brings the community together

For the past few years, Verna Mowat has been hosting a Coffee Break® event on her family farm in the Westman region of Manitoba. Despite wind and rain, people in the community venture down the gravel road to Verna’s farm, where a smile and a warm cup of coffee are waiting for each Coffee Break guest. “Lots of people from the community all come out – from Cypress, Glenboro, even neighbours down the road. I think we had 35 people…

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Changing the way dementia research is done in Canada
Changing the way dementia research is done in Canada

Changing the way dementia research is done in Canada

Research is usually researcher-driven. We want to help change that. What do we mean? Researchers usually decide what work is important enough to be funded and then good enough to be published. But are researchers aware of the issues that matter most to those who can actually benefit from their work? Not always. That’s why we’ve created the Canadian Dementia Priority Setting Partnership, a study that will bring the voices of Canadians affected by dementia into the conversation about research.