New research project will improve support for people living with dementia

February 04, 2010

Government of Canada funds 20 research partnerships in areas of importance to Canadians

(KITCHENER, Ont.) –The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today announced funding of up to $1 million each over six years for 20 large-scale research projects that will bring communities and universities together to build knowledge on areas affecting Canadians.

The Community-University Research Alliances (CURA) grants, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), will support research partnerships between universities and community organizations, including a CURA project at the University of Waterloo to research changes in how people with dementia are supported and cared for.

Announced at the Village of Winston Park seniors care facility in Kitchener, the dementia care CURA will look at how to ensure that everyone involved in the care of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia—including family members, formal care providers, and persons living with dementia themselves—are active participants and decision-makers in their care.

"The Government of Canada is investing in the social sciences and humanities as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan to create jobs, strengthen the economy and improve Canadians’ quality of life," said Minister of State Goodyear. “This research project will facilitate a new, improved approach to providing care for people living with dementia, and support for their families and care partners.”

The CURA team will be co-led by Sherry Dupuis, a University of Waterloo recreation and leisure studies professor and director of the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program, and Carrie McAiney, a professor in psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster University. The project will include partners from across the university sector and numerous community, seniors care, and not-for-profit organizations from southern Ontario and throughout the country. The partners include, among others, a number of area branches of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, and several colleges and long-term care settings from across Canada.
CURA grants, among the largest grants offered by SSHRC, support joint research projects between researchers based at postsecondary institutions and community-based organizations.

“These grants highlight the excellence of our country’s talented researchers and recognize the importance of fostering collaboration to keep Canada at the leading-edge of research, development and innovation in the 21st century,” said Chad Gaffield, President of SSHRC.

In addition to Waterloo’s dementia care project, the Minister also announced funding for 19 other research projects located throughout the country. The projects focus on a wide range of issues of importance to Canadians, such as community food security, employment innovations, and the impact of co-operatives.

Today’s funding announcement also includes several projects researching Canadian environmental issues, including sustainable forest management in New Brunswick, the impact of climate change on coastal communities in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and how to teach sustainability in schools in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Projects also focus on research on Canada’s northern communities, including Inuit leadership and governance in Nunavut and Nunavik.