Ottawa – Brain Awareness Week, which takes place during Brain Health Awareness Month, is a timely opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting and strengthening our body’s most critical organ.
The best way to protect our brains is to reduce the risk of injuries to the brain and to properly recognize those injuries when they occur. Every year, thousands of Canadians are diagnosed with a concussion, which is the most common form of brain injury. In 2022, approximately 35,000 children and youth, aged 5 to19, and more than 65,000 adults, 20 years and older, were diagnosed with a concussion in hospital emergency departments in Canada.
Concussions can result in short and long-term effects on brain health. That’s why it’s important to recognize the symptoms and seek medical treatment. You can help reduce your risk of a concussion by wearing proper safety equipment, such as a helmet, when engaging in sports and recreational activities.
As part of the Government of Canada’s continued efforts to improve safety and reduce concussions, we are investing in the most up-to-date guidelines and resources on concussions. We commend Parachute, leaders in injury prevention, for the release of the updated Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport earlier today, which was funded through the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund. The updated Guideline considers new international recommendations published in the British Journal of Sport Medicine and aims to increase knowledge about concussions for athletes of all levels, and the caregivers and professionals who support them. It also seeks to support concussion prevention and management, helping reduce lost time at school, play and work. We encourage all sport organizations to update their return-to-sport protocols and related resources with the new recommendations offered by the Guideline.
Brain health is also an important factor in managing risks related to dementia. The number of Canadians affected by dementia has more than doubled in the last two decades. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has provided funding that directly supports progress aligned with the objectives of the national dementia strategy. We are investing in community-based projects, awareness-raising efforts including a national campaign, improved access to high-quality dementia guidance, improved online dementia resources, dementia research, surveillance, and innovations in brain health and aging. The Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative, led by the Canadian Institute of Health Research Institute of Aging, is supporting research and training programs to advance knowledge that promotes brain health during aging. It also addresses the complex care needs of people living with dementia, as well as the well-being of their caregivers.
As individuals, there are many things we can control in our day-to-day activities that significantly reduce our chances of developing dementia, such as staying active, avoiding smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet, and limiting alcohol consumption. It is never too early or too late to take action to reduce your risk factors.
Lastly, it is important to recognize that there is no health without mental health. Those same day-to-day activities, in addition to sleeping well and making meaningful connections with friends, family and people in your community, can promote positive mental health. Increasing access to mental health and substance use supports, including at the community level, is central to the health care plan that the Government of Canada is advancing with provinces and territories.
We encourage all Canadians to learn more about how you can take care of your own mental health and help support others, at Canada.ca/mental-health. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 9-8-8 to have access to 24/7, bilingual, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate suicide prevention support.
Together, we can all help to create positive change in our schools, workplaces and communities to help one another lead healthier lives, both physically and mentally. – Mark Holland, Ya’ara Saks, Carla Qualtrough