An innovative new five-year project will integrate research and care for dementia patients on Vancouver Island, thanks to a $2.5 million donation from Neil and Susan Manning.
The Cognitive Health Initiative is a joint venture between the University of Victoria, Island Health and the University of British Columbia and aims to address the needs of an aging population on the Island.
The initiative is a personal one for the Victoria couple; Susan was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago. The tremendous support the Mannings received from Island Health was one of the things that led them to donate to the , who will in turn fund efforts to bring more focus to this area of health care.
B次元官网网址淭his illness changes the life of the individual impacted and also that of their family,B次元官网网址� Neil said. B次元官网网址淲e need to enjoy every day that we have with each other and when we are able, take something challenging and turn it into an opportunity to do something good.B次元官网网址�
Island Health geriatrician Dr. Marilyn Malone and her colleagues are calling the initiative B次元官网网址渓eading-edgeB次元官网网址� given that the patientsB次元官网网址� own data will inform their own care.
B次元官网网址淥ur advantage is that we have UBC, the Island Medical Program and UVic research on our side. That is unique and thatB次元官网网址檚 going to push us to the forefront,B次元官网网址� she said.
The development of state-of-the-art digital tools B次元官网网址� the real-time Dementia Guidance System database B次元官网网址� aims to enable an earlier diagnosis, as well as a deeper understanding of the causes of dementia, in order to implement treatments that could prevent the disease altogether. The medical team agrees the initiative is ambitious, but the collection of this information on a large scale is going to facilitate work in the field in the rest of B.C. and Canada.
Dr. Bruce Wright, the regional associate dean of Vancouver Island UBC Faculty of Medicine, said the research being contemplated is evidence-based, and this turns it into a science, ensuring as accurate and early a diagnosis as possible.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 not a blood test for this kind of thing,B次元官网网址� Wright said of dementia, adding the disease is progressive. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a devastating diagnosis to give, and so you have to have it right.B次元官网网址�
