Slaight Family Foundation Funds Several Projects Based on TDRA-Developed Dementia Initiatives and Tools
As people are living longer, our population as a whole is getting older. One of the byproducts of an older population is an increasing number of people living with dementia - an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms that damage brain function to the point where a person has problems with day-to-day activities.
According to Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC)’s 2022 Landmark Study, 6.3 million Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with dementia between 2020 and 2050. Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease and their support teams often have difficulty obtaining a timely diagnosis, receiving basic care when they are homebound, and managing advanced dementia symptoms and behaviours in long-term care.
The good news is that a generous new donation will provide much-needed funding to do something about it.
On June 25, 2024, the Slaight Family Foundation announced a $30-million donation to support seven Canadian organizations in enhancing dementia research, prevention and compassionate care. Two of those organizations - ASC and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) – are focused on spreading clinical initiatives and diagnostic tools that were developed by Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA).
“Receiving a diagnosis is critical in helping families create a plan for what lies ahead; the sooner this diagnosis is received the better”, said Dr. Luca Pisterzi, Vice President, Research at ASC. “This generous gift allows us to implement key pieces that can help support a faster diagnosis. A collaboration with TDRA is key to achieving this.”
TDRA’s clinical initiatives and tools were developed by world-class specialists working collaboratively across TDRA’s Toronto area sites. Their aim is to improve efficacy, reduce burden, and streamline measurements and processes toward the standardization of dementia diagnosis and care. The generous Slaight Family Foundation donation will be used to help spread the use of the TDRA-developed Toronto Cognitive Assessment (TorCA), TDRA Standardized Clinical Cognition Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocol (TDRA Cognition MRI Protocol), and Technology-Enabled Integrated Care Pathway for Behavioural Symptoms of Dementia in Long-Term Care (Tech-ICP).
TorCA is a validated 30-40 minute cognitive tool that is an intermediate between short screening tests (i.e., MoCA) and detailed neuropsychological test batteries. TorCA is designed to detect early/mild stages of dementia by testing various aspects of thinking, such as memory, language, visuospatial abilities, multitasking and attention.
The TDRA Cognition MRI Protocol is the first Toronto-wide standardized imaging protocol for dementia. This standard set of MRI sequences aims to ensure that identifiable pathologies are equally detectable by radiologists or other specialists at each site where it is used; this improves specialist physicians’ ability to diagnose the causes of dementia in their patients and facilitate appropriate care planning.
The Tech-ICP is a validated clinical pathway designed to standardize the assessment and management of behavioural symptoms of dementia in hospital inpatient units, community settings and long-term care (LTC) homes. This pathway is complemented by an advanced technological platform that includes secure data management, along with assessment, monitoring and algorithm-based treatments.
ASC will be leveraging their coast-to-coast community-based relationships and infrastructure – partnering with TDRA, CAMH, and others - to implement national standards for cognitive testing (using TorCA), dementia imaging (using the TDRA Cognition MRI protocol), and dementia care (using TECH-ICP and other validated approaches).
CAMH’s work will focus on expanding the adoption of the TECH-ICP to 30 LTC homes during the three-year period. The Tech-ICP includes structured behavioural interventions and algorithmic use of medications using a evidence- and measurement-based care approach, including the use of wearable devices. LTC care teams will receive targeted training and education to implement and sustain the Tech-ICP.
“We anticipate that implementation of the TECH-ICP will result in successful treatment of behavioural symptoms of dementia, and improve quality of life of LTC home residents and their care partners”, said Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Scientist, Staff Psychiatrist and Medical Head of Geriatric Clinical Research at CAMH. “In addition, the Tech-ICP will lead to acceleration of innovation and trigger further improvements in care for behavioural symptoms of dementia.”
