Baycrest creates Centre for Brain Fitness with $10-million investment from Ontario Government

    TORONTO, April 7 /CNW/ - As Ontario braces for a doubling of its senior
population over the next 20 years, it is turning to Baycrest to develop and
commercialize a range of innovative products aimed at improving the brain
health of aging adults.
    Today the Ontario Government took a large step in this direction by
announcing it is investing $10 million dollars to create the Centre for Brain
Fitness at Baycrest.
    "There are few things as frightening as the prospect of declining brain
fitness as we age and the loss of our mental faculties," said Dr. Tony Melman,
Chair of Baycrest Board. "Baycrest's strengths make it well positioned to
develop innovative, market-driven research products that will transform the
way we age."
    Baycrest will partner with the Toronto-based MaRS Venture Group to
develop and market scientifically-proven products for the clinic, workplace
and home environments.
    Products in development over the next 10 years will include cognitive
assessment software (in a portable computer tablet) that allows clinicians to
measure in a simple and rapid manner memory and processing in people who have
had a stroke, may have Alzheimer's or other memory challenges; brain fitness
products to help healthy aging adults (ages 45-75) maintain their cognitive
functions, plus an additional product suite for caregivers to provide
cognitive rehabilitation to people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia
who live in long-term care facilities and retirement homes; executive training
program for corporations wishing to help their aging employees improve
cognitive functions to remain productive; and an internet-based outreach
program to support people caring for loved ones with mild to medium cognitive
impairment.
    The Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson made the
$10-million announcement today, applauding Baycrest for its global leadership
in tackling the 21st century's most pressing health issue - cognitive decline
with an aging population.
    The province's $10-million investment matches $10 million Baycrest has
received from private donors. Baycrest's Foundation will launch a major
campaign to raise additional funding for the new Centre for Brain Fitness.
    For more information on today's announcement, go to www.baycrest.org.

For further information: on this release, please contact: Kelly
Connelly, Senior Media Officer, Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System,
kconnelly@baycrest.org, (416) 785-2432