MIRA is proud to co-fund, alongside AGE-WELL and the Canadian Frailty Network (CFN), two exciting new projects led by Andrew Costa and Ian Bruce. Through the inaugural Catalyst Funding Program in Healthy Aging, AGE-WELL and CFN are funding these and 15 more projects, including one co-led by Marla Beauchamp and researchers from the University of Waterloo.
The total funding for all 17 projects is over $800,000. Projects supported by these funds aim to move forward the agenda of the Healthy Aging Canada research collaboration, which connects AGE-WELL’s technology-based solutions with CFN’s clinical and behaviour change focus.
MIRA-member-led projects
The YourCare+ Self-Referral Platform for Home and Community Support Services – A Proof of Concept Pilot toward Large Scale Deployment
Project Lead: Dr. Andrew Costa
Beta-testing of the YourCare+ Self-Referral Platform, which allows community-dwelling adults with supportive care needs to digitally navigate and self-refer to personalized, geographically relevant home care and community support services by utilizing a validated, self-reported health assessment.
Development of Assistive Listening Technology Best Practices for Live Music
Project Lead: Dr. Ian Bruce
Investigating alternative assistive listening technologies that send audio signals directly to hearing aids via magnetic or radio-frequency connections to develop a set of best practices for music venues to increase accessibility for live music events for seniors experiencing hearing loss. This project will leverage the McMaster’s LIVELab and includes MIRA member and LIVELab director Laurel Trainor as a co-investigator.
FUSE-for-Frailty: A Technology-based Solution to Empower Self-management of Daily Health related Behaviors Linked to Frailty
Project Leads: Drs. Karen Van Ooteghem, Marla Beauchamp & William McIlroy
Adapting and updating the FUSE system (wearable biosensors that monitor and provide feedback on health-related behaviours like physical activity, sleep and mobility) so that it includes other behaviors specifically important for frailty prevention.
Read more about the AGE-WELL and CFN Catalyst Funding Program in Healthy Aging Recipients.
