In 2017, the Canadian Government passed the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act, requiring the federal Minster of Health to create a national dementia strategy. Today, this strategy acts as a blueprint for a more collaborative and unified approach to tackling dementia across Canada. One of its central goals is to ensure all Canadians living with dementia can receive the same standard of care regardless of where they live.
On this episode of CABHI’s Community of Innovation podcast, we take a deeper look at the national dementia strategy with Dr. William E. Reichman (President and CEO, Baycrest) and Dr. Saskia Sivananthan (Chief Research & Knowledge Translation & Exchange (KTE) Officer, Alzheimer Society of Canada) to learn more about its goals, how it will impact the lives of everyday Canadians, especially those living with dementia and their caregivers, and how innovation will play a role in bringing this strategy to life.
Join our hosts Dr. Allison Sekuler and Dr. Rosanne Aleong as they explore this important topic:
Learn more about our guests:
Dr. William E. Reichman is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest, one of the world’s premier academic healthcare organizations focused on seniors’ health and aging brain function. Dr. Reichman has an appointment as Professor of Psychiatry with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is a recipient of an honorary degree of law from OCAD University. He is a noted global authority on the delivery of innovative medical, mental health, and dementia services in geriatric care settings. Dr. Reichman is currently President of the International Psychogeriatric Association and has advised the World Health Organization and the governments of Canada, the United States, and China on health policy. He is Co-Chair of Canada’s Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia and has been instrumental in the development of Canada’s National Dementia Strategy.
Dr. Saskia Sivananthan is a neuroscientist, health data scientist, and an internationally recognized strategy and policy advisor on dementia care. She is currently serving as the Chief Research & KTE Officer with the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Dr. Sivananthan oversees the Alzheimer Society Research Program, a dementia research priority-setting leader and the only research funder who engages people living with dementia in all aspects of research. Previously, she served as a senior strategy and policy advisor consulting for the World Health Organization (WHO) on its overall global dementia strategy and co-drafted the WHO’s Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia, which was unanimously adopted at the 170th World Health Assembly by all 194 member-states. The Action Plan identified key priorities and established international goals to fight stigma and advance dementia care.
