Skip to content
Focuses on improving the management of dementia and the quality of life of those with lived experience
- Team 14: Multi-Morbidity and Dementia is led by Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, whose team researches the impact multi-morbidities have on dementia. In particular, he looks at the impact frailty and social vulnerability have on speeding up dementia’s onset and progression, and how dementia can be better managed and treated.
- Team 15: Issues in Dementia Care for Rural populations is led by Drs. Megan O’Connell and Debra Morgan. As a registered clinical psychologist with specialty training in clinical neuropsychology, Dr. O’Connell leads the Neuropsychology Team of the Rural and Remote Memory Clinic (RRMC), based at the University of Saskatchewan. In CCNA’s second phase, the team is developing the RRMC-interventions (RRMCi), a suite of psychological interventions that will be delivered by Telehealth to rural families of persons living with dementia across Saskatchewan. These interventions infuse neuropsychology and interprofessional practice with remote service delivery out of 2 research labs: RAIN (Remote Assessment and Intervention with Neuropsychology) and ViTAL (Videotherapy Analysis Lab). The RRMCi includes an interdisciplinary team, and the interventions include a Telehealth-based sleep intervention; Telehealth cognitive rehabilitation; a remotely-delivered social inclusion intervention; and the development of ruralCARES – a caregiver support app for mobile phones. In collaboration with Team 16, researchers will adapt a driving cessation intervention for remote delivery. Working with Team 18, members will create a remotely-delivered Indigenous caregiver support group. For more information on this team, visit the RaDAR website.
- Team 16: Driving and Dementia is led by Drs. Gary Naglie and Mark Rapoport, and Elaine Stasiulis is the program’s research associate. Working with a cross-Canada research team, they are creating interventions and generating knowledge to support people with dementia, family caregivers, and healthcare providers to meet the decision-making and psychosocial and health-related challenges posed by driving cessation. As of 2019, the team is in the final stages of developing and evaluating a web-based toolkit for driving cessation in persons with dementia. This toolkit is a curated collection of materials and resources (e.g., worksheets, videos, and driving assessments) with content geared to supporting individuals with dementia in the decision-making process and transition to non-driving. Two of their upcoming projects involve using implementation science and video technology to develop and evaluate: (1) an educational workshop intervention that will help healthcare providers develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to proactively facilitate timely driving cessation while supporting the transition to non-driving and optimizing individuals’ quality of life; and (2) a virtually-delivered group-based intervention for people with dementia and family caregivers that addresses the practical (e.g., alternative transportation) and psychological (e.g., identity, loss, and grief) aspects of driving cessation. Another upcoming project will explore the safety and acceptability of autonomous vehicle technology for individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Using the high fidelity computerized driving simulator at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, this project will inform guidelines on which levels of vehicle automation and in what types of driving conditions can be safely used by this target group.
- Team 17: Interventions at the Sensory and Cognitive Interface is led by Drs. Natalie Phillips and Walter Wittich. The team’s research focuses on the role of sensory function (hearing, vision, and olfaction) in older adults who live with, or are at risk of developing, dementia. Sensory difficulties are common in older adults and have important implications for their cognitive function, brain function, and everyday activities. This team studies the interaction between sensory loss and cognitive function – i.e., the challenges this presents for cognitive assessment and early detection of dementia, as well as the implications for quality of life (including communication and interaction with others). For this, the team uses a number of research approaches, including analyzing large databases (e.g., the CCNA’s signature study COMPASS-ND, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, the Canadian Institute for Health Information), as well as experimental studies, experimental interventions, and qualitative interviews. Please visit the team’s website for more information.
- Team 18: Issues in Dementia Care for Indigenous Populations focuses on responding to dementia research priorities identified by Indigenous communities in Ontario through participatory and action-oriented research approaches. Led by Drs. Jennifer Walker and Lindsay Crowshoe, team members from across Canada are working with communities to improve cognitive assessment and the detection and diagnosis of dementia; to understand the connection between trauma, culture and dementia; and to develop culturally safe, trauma-informed approaches to addressing dementia. To learn more about their CCNA activities and related projects on issues of aging and dementia in Indigenous populations, click here.
- Team 19: Integrating Dementia Patient Care into the Health Care System is led by Drs. Isabelle Vedel and Howard Bergman. This pan-Canadian multidisciplinary team is working towards an international first: evaluating Alzheimer’s disease plans centered in primary care. Team members are examining the factors that influence detection, diagnosis, quality of care, and use of services, as well as the key elements necessary for the successful implementation of innovative care models. The results are being used across Canada and internationally by decision makers, managers, clinicians, and policy makers. For example, team results were used in the implementation of the Quebec Alzheimer’s Plan and in the development of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ expert panel report, the Assessment of Evidence and Best Practices for the creation of a National Dementia Strategy (including Dr. Vedel and Carrie McAiney, and chaired by Dr. Bergman). To learn more about this team’s work, and to read their newsletter, infographics and other material, please visit the Team 19 webpage.
Go back to top
