New funding for dementia projects

The federal government announced $4.8 million over four years of new funding for dementia projects this month, including two that involve researchers in the Faculty of Health and Research Institute for Aging. The projects, which total more than $2 million, are all funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada:

• The Dementia Community Initiative ($2M), made up of the Dementia Knowledge Hub, led by Carrie McAiney (School of Public Health and Health Systems) and Laura Middleton (Kinesiology), and the Dementia Surveillance System, led by George Heckman (School of Public Health and Health Systems) and Carrie McAiney. The Dementia Knowledge Hub will develop a community of practice so that projects from across the country can share information and collaborate, among other things, while the Dementia Surveillance System project will focus on enhancing the national dementia data system to improve our understanding of dementia and its progression.
• Moving, Eating and Living Well ($573K), led by Laura Middleton and Heather Keller (Kinesiology), will promote the health and well-being of people living with dementia and caregivers by building community capacity through wellness services in rural and urban communities. 

Almost half a million Canadians over the age of 65 are living with dementia. The funding will help implement the government's national dementia strategy, which was released in 2019 and aims to prevent dementia, advance therapies and improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and their care partners.