For Paul Lea, like many people living with dementia, one of the challenges experienced is keeping track of medications. But these days, it’s a lot easier thanks to a new app that reminds people to take their medications or go to appointments.

Hosted by AGE-WELL, AgeTech Innovation Week was the first event of its kind – and an unprecedented opportunity to connect people who share an interest in technology and aging. The unique virtual event, held on October 4-8, 2021, brought together more than 1,200 attendees and over 60 speakers from around the world.

Making the world more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities isn’t a theoretical exercise for AGE-WELL researcher Dr. Virginie Cobigo. The associate professor at the University of Ottawa has launched a company that provides input from people with dementia and cognitive disabilities on whether products and services are usable and practical.

Just as Miro Sobocan was about to begin physical therapy after total knee replacement surgery early in 2020, his rehabilitation facility in Dolenjske Toplice, Slovenia, was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Undeterred, the 72-year-old retiree turned to his “favourite hobby,” the internet, for a solution. He found Curovate, a total knee replacement rehabilitation app he now describes as “life changing and a nine out of 10.”

AGE-WELL welcomes today’s announcement that its funding has been renewed through the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program to the end of fiscal year 2022-2023. AGE-WELL will receive $21.9 million over three years – a significant investment that will help Canada respond to the needs and challenges of an aging population through technology-based solutions that enable older adults to maintain their independence, health and quality of life, and support their caregivers.

Winterlight Labs and EBT Medical Inc., both AGE-WELL-supported startups, have each raised millions of dollars in new funding. EBT Medical announced this week that it has secured a US$10-million Series A investment, co-led by two top-tier venture capital firms, SV Health Investors and Genesys Capital. Winterlight Labs reported that it has raised $5.6-million in series A funding in a round led by Hikma Ventures.

During his 40-year career as a paramedic, John Kirkconnell faced many challenges that come with such a demanding job. But for him, there was one extra: a tremor in his hands. Kirkconnell tried medication but couldn’t handle the side effects. He underwent neurosurgery twice and it worked—until the tremor returned. And then he tried a stabilizing glove.

Richard Ratcliffe, 91, has had his life transformed over the past three years thanks to FamliNet.app, an AGE-WELL-supported communications platform designed to prevent social isolation by keeping older adults in contact with family and friends.

“I’d be lost without it. It opened up a whole new world,” says Ratcliffe, a resident at Sunnybrook.

Vast distances and differences in expertise and experience separate Dr. Julie Robillard, a neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Jesse Hoey, a computer scientist at the University of Waterloo. But the two AGE-WELL investigators are combining these diverse academic specialties in their shared determination to help older adults make better use of technology.

Hundreds of young researchers have joined AGE-WELL’s EPIC training program (Early Professionals, Inspired Careers), which prepares future innovators in the field of technology and aging. Find out why trainees value this unique program – and meet some of our amazing trainees – in this new video series.

Vancouver, BC – A new mobile app aims to help people with early dementia or mild cognitive impairment to manage daily activities and keep track of how they are doing, providing greater independence.

AGE-WELL research came to the world stage last week when network investigator Dr. Rosalie Wang presented to a session at United Nations Headquarters in New York focused on digital skills for the aging population.

Sixty per cent of people with dementia-related memory problems become lost at some point, according to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. The number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to reach 937,000 by 2031, a 66% increase from current numbers. Given this stark statistic, it is no surprise that a policy change is underway which aims to improve the process of finding Canadians who wander or get lost.

Braze Mobility Inc. has launched an add-on system that can transform a regular wheelchair into a “smart” wheelchair able to help prevent collisions.

The novel system uses sensors to detect obstacles and provides visual, audio or vibration feedback to drivers. It can be added to any powered or manual wheelchair.

A unique online resource that allows consumers to find the right locator device for loved ones with dementia who may wander has been created through the support of AGE-WELL and the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.

A clinical trial funded by AGE-WELL is underway to test a novel treatment for overactive bladder (OAB), a condition that affects 18 per cent of Canadian adults—and up to 500 million people worldwide.

Games that run on a browser or mobile device and can be played at varying levels of difficulty are being tested as assessment and intervention tools for people with cognitive decline caused by age, disease or trauma.

Jackie struggles to find practical products, services and information online that can help her to care for her mother with dementia. “It’s hit-and-miss at best and at times overwhelming, especially if I am not sure what solutions are out there,” says the retired paramedic and nurse.

Addressing the problem Jackie describes is exactly the goal Dr. Jan Miller Polgar of Western University, and Dr. Frank Rudzicz of Toronto Rehab-University Health Network and the University of Toronto have in mind with their AGE-WELL project called CARE-RATE.

Dr. Goldie Nejat, director of the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics at the University of Toronto, and Dr. François Michaud, founding director of the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT) at Université de Sherbrooke, are leading the AGE-WELL-funded project to create assistive robots that can be used at home, as well as in hospitals, seniors’ residences and long-term care.

A new technology that analyzes a person’s natural speech to detect and monitor Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders has won the AGE-WELL Pitch Competition: Technology to Support People with Dementia.

The new tablet-based assessment tool records short samples of a person’s speech as they describe a picture – even a family photo – on the screen. It extracts hundreds of variables from the samples, producing results in under five minutes.

In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Dr. Alex Mihailidis, AGE-WELL scientific director, describes an array of ‘intelligent’ systems his team is developing to help older people and those with cognitive impairment.