June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Baycrest awarded more than $5 million to develop
brain health products
T
Student Centre
celebrates grand
opening he Federal Economic Development
Agency of Southern Ontario (FedDev
Ontario), in conjunction with the
Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), has
awarded Baycrest more than $5-million
in funding for two projects to develop
cognitive fitness and education products
based on the latest brain research.
2
New study finds
morning people
are happier than
night owls 2
Buddy’s Glee Club
gets an encore 3
www.baycrest.org
Baycrest is fully
affiliated with the
University of Toronto.
“Baycrest’s capacity to translate cutting
edge cognitive science into innovative
and future-focused products that will
help people across the lifespan and
address health system challenges with
an aging population, has received a
major boost today with the FedDev
Ontario announcement,” said Dr.
William Reichman, president and
chief executive officer at Baycrest.
The two projects that will receive the
funding are well underway in the
development process.
Dr. Sylvain Moreno,
lead scientist at
Baycrest’s Centre
for Brain Fitness, is
a world-renowned
expert in neuroeducation. His
research is being
applied to the
creation of cognitive
training programs
for children.
Brain training technology
A team at the Rotman Research Institute
will receive $4.7 million to develop music-based interactive cognitive training
cartoons for preschoolers. The neuroeducational games will be based on several
years of neurological research conducted
by Dr. Sylvain Moreno, a world expert
in neuroeducation and lead scientist with
the Baycrest Centre for Brain Fitness.
The project has exciting implications
for future development of additional
product lines for older children, adults
and seniors.
“We want to create training programs
based on neuroeducation research that
anybody at home with a computer or
mobile device can use to improve their
life, improve their cognitive skills, live
longer, live better,” said Dr. Moreno.
The cognitive training program for
preschoolers is expected to be on the
market in early 2014.
Online memory assessment tool
Cogniciti Inc., a joint venture between
Baycrest and MaRS, will receive
$764,000 to develop a suite of digital
products for consumers and the workplace. The first of these will be an online
memory assessment tool designed for
...continued on page 8
Baycrest Matters is published every second Wednesday by the Public Affairs Department.
Send your feedback or submissions to baycrestmatters@baycrest.org or call 416-785-2500
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Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Student Centre celebrates grand opening
S
taff and students celebrated the new Student
Centre at its grand opening reception June 12.
The centre, which is an initiative of the Centre for
Education and Knowledge Exchange in Aging is
open to students from all disciplines to work,
learn and collaborate. It features computer work
stations, a conference room, a lounge and lockers.
The centre is currently open between 9:30 a.m.
and 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, but will become
a 24-hour space with swipe-card access later
this month.
On opening day, Tinu Ekuase, co-ordinator, Student
Placement, said students were already starting to
use the space. “They’re starting to get to know the
centre. They’re coming in to use the computers and
eat lunch,” she said.
Elizabeth Mui, a medical student and research
assistant with Academic Education is one of these
early adopters. “It’s really nice because there’s
access to so many computers. It’s also very
clean, neat, bright and welcoming,” she said.
Staff at an opening reception for the new Baycrest
Student Centre. Front row from left are, Mary McDiarmid
and Paula Ferreira. Back row from left are, Tinu Ekuase,
Rhona Porter, Raquel Meyer, Lisa Sokoloff, Faith
Boutcher, Dr. David Conn, and Tim Patterson.
New study finds morning people are happier than night owls
A
re you a morning person or a night owl? A new
study by researchers from Baycrest’s Rotman
Research Institute (RRI) and the University of
Toronto has found that if you’re a morning person,
whether you’re a young adult or a senior, you
may be happier than those who prefer to sleep in.
Among the key findings with early risers:
• Older adults reported better moods with
higher positive affect compared to younger adults, and lower negative or sad feelings
than their younger counterparts.
• Being a morning “lark” was associated with better subjective health (feeling well)
compared to being a “night owl.”
The study led by Renee Biss, a graduate psychology
student at the University of Toronto, and Dr.
Lynn Hasher, senior scientist at Baycrest’s RRI
investigated the sleep habits and emotional states
of 435 healthy younger adults (ages 17-38) and
297 healthy older adults (ages 59-79).
“The positive feelings associated with starting the
day earlier may offer a protective benefit for older
adults,” said Dr. Hasher. “Research has shown
that subjective health ratings in older age are a
strong predictor of objective health outcomes.”
“We found that morning-type people, whether they
were younger or older, reported feeling happier
than their age-equivalent peers who liked to sleep
in,” said Biss. “But we also found that older adults
reported feeling greater positive emotion than
younger adults.”
The study was supported by the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research and the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council and
was published in the June issue of the American
Psychological Association journal, Emotion.
2
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Buddy’s Glee Club gets an encore
L
ast summer, Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes, senior
music therapist and practice advisor, Culture Arts
and Innovation, brought the joy of singing to the
Community Day Centre for Seniors with Buddy’s
Glee Club, a 16-week program and research study
that saw clients participate in a choir.
This summer, Dr. Clements-Cortes will conduct
a second phase to the research project, bringing
Buddy’s Glee Club to a new group of seniors in
the Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged.
The new study will be ground-breaking in the
field of music therapy as Dr. Clements-Cortes anticipates that most of the participants will have cognitive impairment. “There’s little in the literature
currently about the benefits of singing in a choir
for cognitively impaired older adults,” she says.
In fact, according to Dr. Clements-Cortes, there is
only limited research on how older adults in general benefit from singing in a choir.
Results from the first phase of Dr. Clements-Cortes’
study are promising. Five key themes emerged from
the data including, friendship and companionship;
simplicity; happiness; uplifting and positive emotions; reduced anxiety and fun.
“Participating in Buddy’s Glee club was a wonderful opportunity for creating new friendships
and social interactions among participants,” says
Dr. Clements-Cortes. “It was also beneficial to the
self-esteem of members. They had a real sense of
pride in preparing for their performance and
singing for an audience.”
The second phase will be similar to the first.
Participants will meet once a week to sing old
familiar songs, and prepare for a performance.
The study will have a different design to accommodate the fact that more of the participants will
be cognitively impaired. But Dr. Clements-Cortes
says she’ll be measuring the choir’s impact on
many of the same aspects of well-being: mood,
anxiety, pain and happiness.
The study is supported by a donation by Margie
Nightingale in honour of her late husband Buddy,
and a grant from the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS) of which Dr.
Clements-Cortes is a co-investigator. The Buddy’s
Glee Club at the Community Day Centre for
seniors is still running as a weekly program due to
the success of the initial study.
Clients at the Community Day
Centre for Seniors participate in
Buddy’s Glee Club. From left are,
Valentine Rubiowicz, Sarah
Hochman, and Ida Kirshenblatt
3
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Worth Repeating
Here is the latest edition of Bill’s Journal
Dr. William E. Reichman, Baycrest President and CEO
A
s many of you will know from the special
requests you receive from my office, it seems
that almost weekly we are being asked to host
international delegations or VIP visitors who want
to learn more about our innovative approaches to
seniors related research, care and education.
international reputation we are gaining as the
leader in aging solutions. Our leadership reputation also continues to grow here at home: • Our work in developing the Behavioural
Support Ontario (BSO) Strategy for Toronto
is well underway. We have almost completed
the hiring of the equivalent of 37 full-time
staff (including RNs, RPNs, PSWs and allied
staff) for the specialized transitional unit,
the long-term care outreach team, and the
community-based psychogeriatric behavioural
support outreach team. We expect to begin
operating the new program early in the
summer.
For example, last month we co-hosted a special
event for Israel’s President Shimon Peres and a
panel of innovation leaders from Israel and
Ontario to talk about the crucial role of
neuroscience research in forging a better future
for humanity. Dr. Randy McIntosh, Vice-President
of Research and Director of the Rotman Research
Institute, was one of the five distinguished panel
members involved in the discussion on research
and technology partnerships between our two
countries that could lead to new breakthroughs
in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological
disorders.
• The Centre for Learning, Research and
Innovation (LRI) in Long-Term Care is rapidly
moving ahead with the development of inter professional learning units on the 3rd and 7th
floors in the Apotex. These clinical teaching
units will initially focus on education and
training around behaviour management,
which in turn supports our BSO efforts.
This summer, the LRI is also launching an
internship program offering 10 undergraduate
students a core course in geriatrics and faculty
mentorship.
Shortly after that, we hosted executives from
Peking Union Medical College, a leading health
sciences organization in China, who are interested
in partnering with Baycrest to bring aging-related
education and services to China. On the very
same day, the Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province
in China was in Ontario to meet with the Premier,
and specifically requested a tour of Baycrest to see
first-hand a centre of excellence in aging-related
care. We also had executives visit us from a
University in Thailand who are building a nursing
home and wanted to see our campus to inform
their plans.
•
These requests are a clear reflection of the
4
Last Friday, the Federal Economic
Development Agency for Southern Ontario
(FedDev Ontario), in conjunction with the
Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), awarded
Baycrest over $5 million to develop innovative
neuroeducation and cognitive assessment/
fitness tools for the global market. This is a
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
major boost for our efforts to translate
cutting-edge cognitive science into innovative
and future-focused products that will help
people across the lifespan, and address
health system challenges posed by an aging
population.
•
It will allow us to increase our capacity to share
best practices and research breakthroughs with
health professionals locally and globally, and
provide education for our staff and students.
Clients and families also wanted a movie theatre
to enjoy films and now we will have one that will
bring hours of enjoyment to them. I look forward
to inviting everyone to the official opening of the
auditorium in the fall.
This multi-million dollar funding to Baycrest
is part of an overall package of nearly $11
million being provided through FedDev
Ontario’s Technology Development Program
to support 14 different Ontario neurotechnology projects comprised of 28 partners.
The funding will contribute to growing
Ontario’s neuroscience sector, enhancing the
competitiveness of local brain technology
companies, and bringing innovative brain
technologies to market in Canada and abroad.
In the meantime, it is time to take stock and
celebrate our successes. I hope you will join me,
along with our new Centre Board Chair, Garry
Foster, and our Baycrest Foundation Board Chair,
Warren Kimel, as we celebrate our collective efforts at the upcoming Annual General Meeting to
be held June 21st at 3:30 pm in the Winter Garden.
These tremendous successes indicate that all the
hard work going on across this campus is making
a very significant difference – locally, nationally
and internationally. This will also help to inform
where we go next in our journey to transform the
experience of aging. That is exactly why we are
refreshing our strategic plan – something you will
hear much more about over the summer.
I also invite you to one of my favorite events –
the annual staff recognition barbeque to be held
Friday, June 29th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in
the garden outside Loftus Hall. Staff on the afternoon shift can enjoy the barbeque on Thursday,
June 28th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the garden
outside the WA Café, while staff on the night shift
can look forward to a special delivery of pizza,
vegetables and dessert to their work stations
around 11:00 pm on Thursday.
I am very excited to announce that the development of a new donor-funded educational auditorium and movie theatre in the Posluns Auditorium
will also begin this summer. When Baycrest
established the Centre for Education and
Knowledge Exchange in Aging, a state-of-the-art
lecture theatre was identified as a high priority.
I look forward to seeing you all at these events.
Bill
http://intranet/ceo/
Annual General Meeting
NEXT
THINKING
Celebrating
the
year’s
highlights
ANNUAL GENERAL
You’re invited to the
Baycrest and Baycrest
Foundation
MEETINGYou’re invited to the Baycrest and Baycrest Foundation
annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday, June 21,
3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Winter Garden.
Thursday,
June 21, 2012
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
INNOVATIONS IN AGING
5
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Photographer captures relationships between caregivers, clients
A
manageable and joyful as the world around their
clients shrinks.”
Debra Friedman’s project, entitled Careful,
Portraits of Aging with Professional Companions,
is not just professional, it’s personal. Friedman’s
father is a resident of the Apotex and her parents
have both needed professional caregivers.
Friedman started the project by taking portraits
of each of her parents with their caregivers. She
connected with the Department of Culture Arts
and Innovation to recruit other pairs and is still
looking for senior-caregiver pairs interested in
participating.
Toronto-based photographer is working on a
project to capture the complex relationship
between seniors and their caregivers.
Three of the portraits have already been on display.
They were part of the Contact Photography Show’s
public art installation in May. Friedman hopes to
show the whole series at another Contact Photography installation next spring. She’s also planning
to exhibit the works at Baycrest.
In observing her parents
with their caregivers, she
says “I have seen some of the
emotional complexity of true
relationships – tenderness to
be sure – but also measures of
frustration, disappointment,
irritation on both sides as the
caregiver works to make life
For more information about the project,
contact Debra Friedman, (416) 873-7248
debra.friedman@sympatico.ca
Ann Smith and her caregiver Lorna
Walker in a portrait by Debra Friedman.
Join the fun at the staff recognition BBQ!
Come and enjoy some great food and the
chance to mingle with your colleagues.
Day staff barbecue:
June 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Loftus Hall garden
Evening staff barbecue:
June 28, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., WA Cafe garden
Night staff:
Pizza will be delivered to your work stations
June 28, starting around 11 p.m.
6
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Call for submissions: do you have a hat with a story?
T
he Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum is
looking for hats and head coverings of all kinds
and the stories of the people who wore them for
an exhibit entitled Cover Thy Head: A survey of
international ceremonial headdresses.
The museum will select some submissions for
display in the exhibit. Others will be part of an art
installation of photos of people wearing or holding
their hats. If you have a hat or even a photo of a
meaningful hat, organizers are interested in hearing
from you.
“Hats are symbols of profession or status, protective coverings and fashionable accessories, and
they are important in many cultural and religious
traditions. We’re looking for all kinds of hats from
people of all backgrounds,” says Cassandra Zita,
museum assistant, The Morris and Sally Justein
Heritage Museum.
Zita says the museum has started to put the exhibit
together. “We currently have a Taylasan (a
Coptic Orthodox priest’s hat), a wedding veil,
and a Bukharan kippah. We’re hoping to get a
nurse’s cap, military or police hats, or any hat
that has a story.”
The museum is accepting submissions until the
end of July. Cover Thy Head will open at the end
of October. For more information on submitting a
hat or a photo, contact Cassandra Zita, museum
assistant, ext. 5622, or czita@baycrest.org.
A Cantor’s hat, just one of the many hats that will be on
display as part of the Cover Thy Head exhibit set to open
this fall. The Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum is
seeking submissions from the Baycrest community.
Kippot as art
In addition to head coverings of all kinds, Cover Thy Head will feature a
collection of 49 original kippot.
“We received entries from around the world. Artists creatively interpreted the
call for entries and submitted meaningful, beautiful and unique kippot,” says
Aviva Babins, arts project coordinator, Culture, Arts and Innovation.
Submissions were judged by Sarah Quinton, curatorial director at the Textile Museum of Canada, and
Chung-Im Kim, fabric artist and professor at OCAD University, who have selected the top three pieces.
This fall, the public will also be invited to vote for their favourite kippah in the Community Choice award
category. The winners of all awards will be announced at the exhibit’s opening reception, October 28, 2012.
7
Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for Baycrest staff, families and clients
June 20, 2012 — VOL.8, NO.13
Baycrest executive appointed to Accreditation Canada board of directors
D
r. Karima Velji, chief operating officer and chief nursing executive,
has been appointed to the board of directors of Accreditation
Canada, the not-for-profit organization that evaluates health-care
organizations against national standards of excellence. Baycrest
achieved full accreditation with exemplary standing, putting us in
an elite group of health-care organizations.
Dr. Karima Velji,
chief operating
officer and chief
nursing executive.
Staff announcement
Farewell to Paula Schipper, director, Legal Affairs & Legal Counsel. Paula has been at Baycrest for more
than 12 years, during which time she instituted a contract management and approval system for Baycrest
and prepared Baycrest to comply with significant legislation, such as the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act. Her last day is June 29.
Baycrest awarded more than $5 million ...continued from front page
adults 40 and older who are worried about changes
in their memory.
The online assessment tool can help reduce unnecessary visits to the family doctor or hospital by the
“worried well” and encourage those experiencing
serious changes to their cognitive health to get help
in the earliest stages when interventions are most
effective.
The initial Cogniciti product will be an online
memory assessment designed to help adults answer
the question, “Is my memory normal or should I see
my doctor?”
Cogniciti plans to release the online screening tool
later this year. After this initial release, the company
is planning other science-based digital products that
will empower adults to better care for their brains,
cope with memory and attention problems and
provide education and support to caregivers.
The tool will address the needs of health-care
systems faced with growing numbers of older
adults concerned about memory loss and dementia.
Earlier this year the World Health Organization
reported that the number of people worldwide with
the most severe form of memory loss–dementia–is
expected to triple by 2050 to more than 100 million adults.
8