Leading the world in better aging

Building on its proud and storied history and guided by a new and visionary strategic plan, Baycrest is embarking on its most ambitious and far-reaching endeavour ever, one that will see the organization transform the experience of aging for millions of people in Canada and across the globe.

We see a worldwide aging society not just as a health-care policy challenge but as an opportunity to improve and enhance human health in ways we could not have imagined even a decade ago.

Dr. Anthony Melman & Dr. William Reichman

For that reason, despite financial headwinds that threatened to blow us off course, we pressed forward last year with our goal of becoming the preeminent global innovator for brain health — the go to place for developing, validating and providing new solutions to the challenges of aging.

To that end, we continued to build on our strengths, including our unparalleled continuum of care, world-leading neuroscience, leadership in training geriatric care specialists, government and community partnerships, loyal donor support, and a novel business collaboration for translating our science into products and programs that support brain health across the lifespan.

We launched the Partnership in Sustainable Care for the Aging Population with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The Ministry provided us with an annual investment commencing at a level of $8.9 million, thereby recognizing Baycrest’s unique role in developing innovative aging, cognition and mental health programs that will serve as a model for Ontario and beyond.

Knowing that preventing or delaying memory and cognitive decline is a key factor for aging well, Baycrest partnered with MaRS , Canada’s premier innovation centre, and put its substantial cognitive science reputation behind a new for-profit company, Cogniciti. The new enterprise is an exciting step in the evolution of the Baycrest Centre for Brain Fitness, which is supported by a $10-million investment from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, matched by $10 million from private donors. This partnership will be ongoing with more matched funding expected in the years ahead. With MaRS as our partner, we will develop scientifically-validated products, games and training protocols for improving memory and cognitive functions.

In 2009-2010, we continued implementing our strategic plan, introducing a balanced scorecard as a road map for measuring our progress. To help us execute the plan, we trained our leaders in The 4 Disciplines of Execution so that they, in turn, can engage staff in achieving our goals.

We announced these key appointments:

Dr. Paul R. Katz, President of the American Medical Directors Association and one of the world’s experts in
the care of long-term care residents, will join us as Vice-President, Medical Services and Chief of Staff.
Dr. Karima Velji, among Canada’s most admired nursing leaders, is our new Vice-President of Clinical and Residential Programs and Chief Nursing Executive.
Dr. Randy McIntosh, responsible for groundbreaking research and global leadership in developing the first “virtual brain”,
has been appointed Vice-President of Research, Baycrest and Director of the Rotman Research Institute.
Dr. Tomáš Paus, one of the world’s leading pioneers behind a new field, population neuroscience, will co-direct Baycrest’s new Toronto Trans-generational Brain and Body Centre.

Looking to the future
What does it mean to grow old successfully? Must we accept as inevitable having to spend the last three or four years of our lives in a nursing home — as too many of us do now — or can we compress that time into months or even weeks so that less of our lifespan will be spent in a state of mental or physical frailty?

As Baycrest continues to evolve into the global centre of excellence in aging, we will pursue the answers to these essential questions and apply what we have learned. We will do so by expanding beyond traditional disciplines such as neurology and cognitive neuroscience to take a more interdisciplinary approach. Science is telling us that this is the way to go if we want to encourage people to engage in healthy practices early in the life cycle.

Our campus will serve as a living laboratory for innovation in wellness and prevention programs. We will share new knowledge across the globe through web-based technologies. We will build a global network of partners, working with leaders in government, academia, health care, and the business and scientific sectors. We will make Baycrest a place where great thinkers can come together to share ideas, test these ideas within our integrated system of care, and demonstrate their effectiveness in such a way that they can be exported throughout the province, the nation and the world.

For their passion and commitment to realizing these bold but attainable aspirations, we thank our board, leadership, staff, volunteers and donors.

Dr. Anthony Melman
Chair, Baycrest Board of Directors

Dr. William Reichman
President and CEO, Baycrest

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