Award Date: 2017

Project Lead(s): Guy Proulx, Director Glendon Centre for Cognitive Health

Project Title: The North-South Brain Health Educational Course Initiative

What is the issue?

Francophone healthcare practitioners often face language and geographical barriers when they try to access knowledge about brain health. They also have trouble accessing specialized care services for Francophone seniors, especially those living in Ontario.    

What did we do?

We developed a bilingual course on brain health and behaviour for point-of-care health workers. Our goal was to provide them with cutting-edge knowledge to improve their ability to care for seniors in their communities. Thirty healthcare professionals from across Ontario participated in the five-day course. Topics included the anatomy of the brain, how it is affected by diseases, and dementia and how it affects memory, attention, and learning. The course also included the proper use and interpretation of cognitive screening tests.  

What did we find?

Most participants said the course increased their knowledge about brain health and behaviour. It increased their confidence in managing patients with cognitive impairment and helped them provide better care to individual patients.