The researchers systematically screened more than 50,000 articles on existing studies of acute care for elders interventions, and聽included 63 different studies in either a narrative or meta-analysis.

91亚色 nursing Professor Mary Fox, the study's principal investigator,聽unveiled the preliminary findings at 91亚色 Central Hospital recently, while聽Michael Johnny of the Knowledge Mobilization (KM) unit provided KMb strategies to help the hospital determine how to disseminate the information.

Above: Mary Fox with participants at the unveiling at 91亚色 Central Hospital

The goal of the research is to develop senior-friendly hospitals by informing and engaging decision makers about the best interventions to prevent functional cognitive, social and physical decline in older adults when they are hospitalized. Seventy-five per cent of people age 65 and older have two chronic illnesses and that can lead to a sudden worsening of their condition requiring hospitalization, says Fox.

Right: Mary Fox

鈥淪ixty-two per cent of all day beds in acute care are filled with people 65 years of age and older and they make up only 13 per cent of the population. They really are the core care customer for acute care hospitals,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y role is to get the evidence and engage the decision makers and researchers in interpreting it for their context. We鈥檙e not just rolling it out, but engaging them from the very beginning so the information will be more useful.鈥�

Left: Deborah Tregunno

The study also looked at what the system needs to provide and what interventions are needed to best serve seniors in acute care hospitals.

鈥淚 was interested in the study because there is really a lot of evidence that says when older people visit hospitals, they are at risk of experiencing bad outcomes,鈥� says Fox. 鈥淭he poor outcomes are not related to their illness, but to other things, like not getting up and walking around while in the hospital or not eating well. There are things that fall through the cracks.鈥�

91亚色 Central Hospital is interested in knowing what those things are so they can provide even better care for older adults.

Professor Deborah Tregunno and Professor Malini Persaud,聽a former post-doctoral fellow, both of聽91亚色's School of Nursing in the聽Faculty of Health, along with 91亚色 librarian IIo-Katryn Maimets and researchers from Ryerson University and the University of Toronto,聽were co-investigators of the study.

The team聽also included聽Michael Johnny,聽Andrea England, director of research and partnerships in the Faculty of Health,聽91亚色 adjunct librarian Angela Hamiton and decision-making partners Tiziana Rivera, chief practice officer at 91亚色 Central Hospital, and Dr. Mary Ferguson-Par茅, former vice-president of professional affairs and chief nurse executive at University Health Network.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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It will not only ensure patients receive leading-edge care but help build a reputation for excellence at the hospital, the [91亚色 Central] chief of emergency medicine says. And that's why he is participating in the initiative.

Knowledge translation, Ghosh explains, makes that important link between research and its application in health care. "We know there is good evidence-based, science-based research that has not been translated into clinical practice," he says. "A gap exists."

To narrow that gap, 91亚色 Central Hospital made a decision to forge a collaborative effort with 91亚色 about two years ago. Researchers with a specialty in two of YCH's areas of focus, seniors' health and chronic disease management, now have offices at the hospital.

For example, Dr. William Gage, whose research focuses on seniors' health, has connected 91亚色 Central staff with a 91亚色 researcher examining changes in motor performance among patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Researcher Sherry Grace [] worked with Tiziana Rivera, chief practice officer at 91亚色 Central and others on publishing a review of studies on women and cardiac rehabilitation, program adherence and preference for alternative models of care. YCH staff can use the information when setting rehabilitation programs for their female cardiac patients.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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She accepted the Institute of Aging at the annual conference of the Canadian Association on Gerontology in Montreal. The prize, which augments major scholarship聽funding she has already received,聽included the money, an invitation to the conference and, best of all, a chance to adjudicate research posters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect timing for me,鈥� says the first-year doctoral student in the Faculty of Health's School of Kinesiology & Health Science. 鈥淚鈥檒l be able to see what鈥檚 going on in my field. Winning this award has been very motivating."

Hawkins started work this fall developing and evaluating a clinical assessment tool to measure visuomotor integration (hand-eye coordination) that could lead to early detection of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. For this, CIHR is funding her research to the tune of $35,000 a year 鈥� $30,000 in salary plus $5,000 research allowance 鈥� for each of the next three years. It鈥檚 the biggest scholarship Hawkins has ever received.

Left: Kara Hawkins

Sit down with Hawkins at her corner desk in the office she shares with other graduate students and you鈥檒l notice only one image taped to the wall next to her computer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my brain,鈥� says the 27-year-old of the vertical MRI scan taken this fall in 91亚色鈥檚 new Neuroimaging Laboratory, located in the Sherman Health Science Research Centre.

The brain. Hawkins became fascinated with it early in her undergraduate years.聽"You can't understand behaviour without understanding the brain. That's what interested me most."聽She started studying psychology then branched into kinesiology. It was a natural detour. 鈥淚鈥檓 an athlete,鈥� says the former varsity goalie who now plays forward for the Aurora Panthers and for the Ice-O-Topes, an intramural team at 91亚色. 鈥淚 wanted to learn how the brain controls movement.鈥�

After graduating in 2006, she jumped at an offer to work as a neuropsychology assistant at Baycrest, a centre specializing in geriatric research and care. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in clinical applications,鈥� says Hawkins. Baycrest sparked an interest in aging and two years later she returned to 91亚色 to pursue聽a master鈥檚 degree and neuroscience graduate diploma, delving deeper into the neurophysiology of complex motor control. She won three scholarships to do it and graduated last spring.

Now a doctoral student, she鈥檚 back in a clinical setting. At 91亚色 Central Hospital, she is collaborating with the geriatric physician to diagnose aging patients who show signs of mental deterioration. Currently, doctors use language, cognition, memory and attention tests to score patients鈥� mental status out of 30. It鈥檚 an imprecise science, and Hawkins has developed and is testing a new measurement tool that could be more precise.

The tool looks like a laptop. There are two touch-sensitive screens, one vertical and the other horizontal (where the keyboard would normally be). The patient is instructed to reach for a target that appears on the vertical screen, at first directly with her hand and then more indirectly using the horizontal touch screen to聽manipulate a cursor. The test is not educationally or language biased, and Hawkins can determine which part of the brain the patient is using and the level of dysfunction based by the accuracy and speed of the response.

The brain is a complex network of communicating parts. When someone has dementia, the lines of communication deteriorate and misfire. Hawkins鈥� test aims to detect the breakdown in the visual-motor and cognitive-motor communication lines. 鈥淭hese touch-screen tracking tests tap into that.鈥�

Hawkins is currently trying to recruit 60 to 90 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and the same number who are aging normally. Over the next three years, she鈥檒l test her diagnostic tool. She is particularly interested in finding out if it can detect early and more subtle stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Interested participants may contact her at karah@yorku.ca.

The earlier we can catch signs of mental deterioration, the more time there will be for intervention that could delay the onset, says Hawkins. Earlier and more precise diagnosis could lead to better education and better care for patients, she says.

Hawkins, now a member of the , is doing her research under the supervision of 聽Prof. Lauren Sergio, an expert in hand-eye coordination and director of 91亚色鈥檚 Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory. When she鈥檚 finished her PhD, she hopes to continue exploring diseases associated with聽aging.

By Martha Tancock, YFile contributing writer

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, along with the Regional Municipality of 91亚色, the Town of Markham and聽YRDSB organized the tour to educate students about the potential of medical and biotechnology research and development in the region. As part of their day, the students also聽visited IBM, Est茅e Lauder, Apotex, AMD Markham, MDS Sciex, Dalton Pharma Services, sanofi pasteur, 91亚色 Central Hospital, Markham Stouffville Hospital and Seneca College at 91亚色, to see how successes of scientific and health innovation contribute to the quality of life of Canadians.

During their visit to 91亚色's Keele campus, the聽students, led by Emmanuel Matiya, a 91亚色 student ambassador for聽the University's Recruitment Division,聽had the opportunity to tour聽the new Sherman Health Sciences Research Centre.聽The building, which is set to open this fall, is home to researchers in the聽health, science and engineering fields. Students toured the future labs of the Centre for Vision Research and learned how biomedical and assistive technology experiments will be conducted. With support from the Faculty of Health, the high-school students also visited the聽School of Nursing's聽resource centre to watch how nursing students can run clinical simulations on low- to high-fidelity mannequins.

鈥淪etting the foundation for future entrepreneurship and scientific innovation is an important role that YORKbiotech plays in the growth of the bio-economy in the 91亚色 Region,鈥� said Janet LeClair, chief administrative officer of YORKbiotech Inc. 鈥淭hrough programs like the Science in Action聽tour we are able to demonstrate the value of collaboration by bringing students closer to research and business in various sectors.鈥�

91亚色 Region is in the heart of聽a hub聽of Ontario's innovative technology sector with聽over 120 companies involved in producing medical devices, biopharma and medical assistive devices.聽In addition,聽more than聽900 companies in the information and communications technology, digital media, software and manufacturing sectors聽reside in the region.

YORKbiotech is a regional innovation network for biotechnology-related industries at the centre of the Greater Toronto Area. The mission of YORKbiotech is to act as a catalyst, harnessing the wealth of intellectual and technical resources to promote economic success and growth of the biotechnology and related industries as a key component of regional economic development. Read their about this event.

By Sana Mulji Dutt, research communications specialist, YORKbiotech.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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