Health committee  I would just caution not to take a quick look at best practices and feel as if we've done our job. The field is dynamic; innovations are being introduced every day. I would ask that there would be an institutionalized federal effort to keep track of innovations in aging, both wit

Health committee  First, I think it's critical to articulate a concrete goal of what we're trying to achieve through innovation, and that will then rally people around that goal. That's what I think is the proper role of the federal government, to articulate goals that Canadians are entitled to ac

Health committee  I believe there's great creativity in each of the provinces here, and there are provinces as well that are looking outside of the four walls of Canada and looking at models abroad. Many of these models may work in Canada, several of them won't, but we won't know unless we try it.

Health committee  The good news is that we don't have to invent something that hasn't already been demonstrated to work. There are programs in different parts of Canada, and I would be happy to get you this information, where it's been demonstrated that if you bulk up a primary care practice by ad

Health committee  Yes. Of all the things we could potentially do to lessen our risk for cognitive failure in later life, whether it's frank dementia—Alzheimer's being the primary cause—or whether it's a milder version, called mild cognitive impairment, the data are most compelling that physical e

Health committee  I think the first thing the federal government can do in association with advocacy organizations like CARP is to confront some stereotypical myths about what seniors want to do or what they don't want to do. For each of us in this room—those of us who are middle-aged, as well as

Health committee  Yes, we do quite a lot.

Health committee  Yes.

Health committee  What people with dementia need is both support for the patient as well as, vitally, support for the caregiver. Programs like dementia day care provide support for both. The patient is involved in an engaged environment, their health is looked after, they are with other people, an

Health committee  Okay. I'll mention a few last points and then I will close.

Health committee  Okay. Then I won't mention a few points. I will ask you to consider whether Canada can really lead globally in this effort. There is no single nation that owns this issue. It's a challenge across the globe. We have sufficient strength in the nation, so let's leverage it.

Health committee  Thank you so much for inviting me here, on behalf of my organization, Baycrest, to share some thoughts. It's quite an honour for us to be represented here. Baycrest serves 2,500 Canadians per day across a full continuum of health care services, from home-based services to hospi