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.
MEDIA 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.