The
University
of
Waterloo
and
Pervasive
Dynamics
will
develop
and
test
wearable
health
technologies
that
can
improve
stroke
rehabilitation
as
part
of
a
new
partnership
aimed
at
transforming
the
health
of
older
adults.
The
joint
research
initiative,
the
first
partnership
between
Waterloo
and
the
Canadian
developer
of
medical
devices,
will
be
part
of
the
new
Advanced
Aging
ResearCH
Centre
(ARCH)
at
Waterloo.
“Advanced
wearable
sensors
are
the
next
generation
of
personalized
health
care,”
said
Professor
Bill
McIlroy,
of
the
Faculty
of
Applied
Health
Sciences
at
Waterloo
and
head
of
ARCH.
“They
enable
us
to
gain
insights
that
are
just
not
available
through
off-the-shelf
products.”
The
new
devices
will
allow
researchers
to
extract
sophisticated
data
related
to
a
stroke
victim’s
cardiovascular
and
nervous
systems,
balance
and
gait,
and
generate
tailored
diagnostic
reports
to
improve
physical
and
mental
rehabilitation.
The
new
partnership
will
also
explore
the
development
of
other
wearable
health
technologies
for
older
adults.
If we hope to reduce the impact of an aging population, we need to start now.
Bill McIlroy
Professor, University of Waterloo
“From
the
management
of
chronic
disease,
to
fall
prevention
and
mobility
strategies,
health
wearables
have
the
potential
to
make
a
huge
difference
for
the
elderly,”
said
Muhammad
Khan,
founder
and
CEO
of
Pervasive
Dynamics,
and
an
alumnus
of
the
Master
of
Business,
Entrepreneurship
and
Technology
program
at
Waterloo.
“If
we
can
get
technologies
like
these
in
the
hands
of
the
public
and
practitioners
we
can
significantly
reduce
the
impact
and
burden
of
an
aging
population
on
the
Canadian
health-care
system
by
providing
clinicians
with
more
data
on
which
to
base
health-care
decisions.”
By
2030,
one-quarter
of
the
Canadian
population
—
close
to
8
million
people
—
will
be
over
the
age
of
65.
Stroke
is
the
third
major
cause
of
death
in
Canada,
with
approximately
50,000
Canadians
suffering
a
stroke
each
year.
More
than
20
per
cent
of
older
adults
will
take
serious
falls,
costing
the
health-care
system
$2
billion
in
related
costs
annually.
“ARCH
is
focused
on
facilitating
advances
in
therapies
to
slow
down
the
trajectory
of
aging
and
reduce
the
risk
of
age-related
injury
and
disease,”
said
McIlroy.
“If
we
hope
to
reduce
the
impact
of
an
aging
population,
we
need
to
start
now.”
In
May,
the
Canadian
Foundation
for
Innovation awarded ARCH
$1.3
million
for
a
variety
of
diagnostic
and
measurement
tools.
The
first
of
its
kind
in
Canada,
the
facility
will
house
the
most
comprehensive
collection
of
equipment
focused
on
aging
in
the
country.
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CONTACT
| Pamela
Smyth
519-888-4777
|
@uwaterloonews
|
uwaterloo.ca/news
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About the University of Waterloo
In
just
half
a
century,
the
University
of
Waterloo,
located
at
the
heart
of
Canada's
technology
hub,
has
become
one
of
Canada's
leading
comprehensive
universities
with
35,000
full-
and
part-time
students
in
undergraduate
and
graduate
programs.
A
globally
focused
institution,
celebrated
as
Canada’s
most
innovative
university
for
23
consecutive
years,
Waterloo
is
home
to
the
world's
largest
post-secondary
co-operative
education
program
and
encourages
enterprising
partnerships
in
learning,
research
and
discovery.
In
the
next
decade,
the
university
is
committed
to
building
a
better
future
for
Canada
and
the
world
by
championing
innovation
and
collaboration
to
create
solutions
relevant
to
the
needs
of
today
and
tomorrow.
For
more
information
about
Waterloo,
please
visit uwaterloo.ca.
About Pervasive Dynamics
Pervasive
Dynamics
Inc.,
operating
out
of
the
Waterloo
Accelerator
Centre,
is
a
Canadian
company
focused
on
developing
the
next
generation
of
wearable
medical
devices,
aimed
at
providing
diagnostic
grade
information.
This
reaches
far
beyond
the
level
of
fitness
gadgets,
which
are
only
sufficient
to
keep
a
user
motivated
to
take
some
exercise.
For
the
same
reason,
Pervasive
Dynamics’s
products
target
health
monitoring,
rehabilitation
and
high-performance
athletic
markets,
where
extremely
accurate
monitoring
and
analysis
is
needed
for
a
comprehensive
insight
into
coordination
and
functioning
of
all
human
body
systems.
For
more
information
about
Pervasive
Dynamics
Inc.,
please
visit
www.pervasivedynamics.com.