Canada’s new Ministerial Advisory Board members on Dementia

MAB provides advice on the implementation of the national dementia strategy

Ottawa – According to the latest national data, in Canada, almost 474,000 people aged 65 and older have been diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Organizations such as Alzheimer’s Society of Canada estimate that the number of Canadians affected by dementia is expected to be close to one million by 2030.

Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced the appointment and reappointment of 12 individuals to the Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB) on Dementia for three-year terms. These members will provide evidence-informed advice on current and emerging dementia-related issues, including opportunities to improve the quality of life of persons living with dementia and caregivers.

Minister Duclos kicked off the two-day meeting of the MAB by discussing with members areas of priorities for addressing dementia, including the need for data to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia and caregivers, person-centred care, and risk reduction and awareness raising. The MAB is comprised of people living with dementia, caregivers, researchers, advocacy group representatives, and health care professionals. The following individuals have been appointed and reappointed:

• Dr. Zahinoor Ismail (Co-Chair), Clinician Scientist, Professor of psychiatry, neurology, epidemiology, and pathology at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary, and former Academic Chair of the US Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) Professional Interest Area in Neuropsychiatric Syndromes
• Barb Shellian (Co-Chair), Registered Nurse, and Former President of the Canadian Nurses Association
• Dr. Sylvie Belleville, Professor at the University of Montreal’s Psychology Department and Laboratory Director for the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), and Former Co-President of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Institute of Health Research Institute of Aging and Director of CRIUGM
• Dr. Habib Chaudhury, Chair and Professor in the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University
• Faye Forbes, Active member of Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) past Board of Directors, Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia Board of Directors, ASC’s Research Committee, Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) Advisory Board, Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration (CCNA), Engagement of People with Lived experience of Dementia (EPLED)
• Nadine Henningsen, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Home Care Association and Carers Canada, and Chair of the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO) Executive Committee
• Dr. Pamela Jarrett, Geriatrician with Horizon Health Network in Saint John, New Brunswick, Associate Professor of medicine at Dalhousie University, and Principal and Co-Principal Investigator on research projects by Healthy Senior Pilot Project in New Brunswick
• Jim Mann, Retired executive and entrepreneur, volunteer, researcher, and dementia advocate, Former Board Member of the Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) and Alzheimer Society of British Columbia, and Researcher and Co-Principal Investigator of CIHR-funded project
• Erica Matthews, Medical Social Worker with Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, and Volunteer with the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan
• Jennifer Picek, Registered Nurse, and Health Systems Navigator for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
• Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics for the Sinai Health System and the University Health Network of Toronto, Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Ageing, Professor at the University of Toronto, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Chair of the Technical Committee for Developing Health Standard Organization’s new National Long-Term Care Services Standard for Canada
• Claire Webster, Certified Dementia Care Consultant, Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, Founder and President of Caregiver Crosswalk, and Founder and Ambassador of McGill’s University’s Dementia Education Program

The MAB, first established in 2018, is required by the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act. The MAB provided valuable input towards the development of the Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Aspire released in 2019, and is expected to continue providing expert advice and input as Canada continues to implement the national strategy.