NeuroTeam brings a multifaceted toolkit to problem of dementia

Researchers from a number of faculties at the University of Calgary are exploring early identification of and interventions for dementia — a collective term that describes a group of symptoms including memory loss, challenges with thinking, and decision-making — the single most expensive medical condition in the Canadian health-care system.

On May 27, the University of Calgary unveiled its Brain and Mental Health Research Strategy to support the work of more than 200 researchers at the University of Calgary who are making a global impact in brain and mental health research, unlocking discoveries and innovative new treatments. 

The Healthy Brain Aging Research Theme, part of the new Brain and Mental Health Research Strategy, is gathering expertise from across disciplines to create the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders NeuroTeam.

“We have a lot of capacity in this area across the university. Researchers across medicine, nursing, social work, kinesiology and psychology for example, are doing some exciting work across the spectrum of early diagnosis and assessment through to practical aspects of care and quality of life,” says Lorraine Venturato, PhD, an associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing and co-leader of the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders NeuroTeam.

“Part of our aim is to develop a way of moving from basic or bench science, through to actual practice and considering implications for society, for policy, for practice and for education,” says Venturato, who also holds the Chair of Gerontological Nursing.

Read the full story in the May 28 edition of Utoday here.