Innovation Laboratory for Alzheimer's Care Launched

TORONTO, Aug. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - The Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation celebrated a Government of Canada investment in a new centre devoted to the development, commercialization, and assessment of new technologies for strengthening Alzheimer's care. The Centre of Innovation Excellence for Alzheimer's Care, which marks a new partnership between the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation and B'nai Brith, creates an innovation laboratory to develop and test new technologies, products and services related to Alzheimer's disease.

"The Centre of Innovation Excellence for Alzheimer's Care brings together industry, academia, government, health care providers and patients to address once of the biggest challenges facing health care today, Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Anne Snowdon, Chair of the International Centre for Health Innovation. "The work of the Centre of Innovation Excellence and its partners will drive commercialization and economic growth for Canada while evaluating and assessing the value of new innovations for patients."

"The Harper Government is committed to finding solutions in partnership with southern Ontario's businesses to improve the treatment and care of Alzheimer's patients," said Minister Goodyear. "Our Government is taking action to turn the tide on Alzheimer's disease, recognizing its growing social and economic cost on families in Canada and around the world."

Projects and initiatives undertaken at the Centre of Innovation Excellence will focus on new approaches to enhance patient care. Research will examine new technologies, including diagnostic tests, medical devices and a variety of information communication technologies used to monitor and treat patients.

Examples of technologies to be evaluated in the Centre of Innovation Excellence include:

• a technology that helps people stay digitally connected to their loved ones to reduce social isolation and provides support to enhance the health and safety of patients;
  
  
• a technology that uses sensors on a bed frame to detect patient movement, heart rate and breathing, which automatically notifies care providers when to attend to the patient; and
  
  
• a wireless medical device that automatically senses the use of hand washing devices to ensure proper infection control.

"As a health centre in a business school focused on innovation adoption, the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation is uniquely positioned to move technologies through the commercialization process, which will prove to be a tremendous asset for this new partnership," said Carol Stephenson, Dean of the Richard Ivey School of Business.

"Investing in health innovation research, commercialization and adoption drives economic competitiveness and prosperity for Canada, as well as health system sustainability," said Dr. Amit Chakma, President of Western University. "Through the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation, Western University is pleased to be able to advance innovations to improve care for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia." 

The International Centre for Health Innovation was established in 2009 with seed funding from Industry Canada. The Centre's mandate is to identify, assess, commercialize and drive adoption of innovative health technologies, systems and processes that will bring about positive change for health care providers, patients and the health care system.

For more information on the International Centre for Health Innovation, visit: www.ivey.ca/healthinnovation

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SOURCE: International Centre for Health Innovation

Andrea Rosebrugh
[email protected]
International Centre for Health Innovation
519-661-2111, ext. 82582