Geras Centre for Aging Research

🚨We are excited to share the latest study protocol published in Trials, led by an incredible team: Ethan Danielli, Aedan Rourke, Geoff Coombs, Michael Noseworthy, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Baraa Al-Khazraji, Alexandra Papaioannou, Sabine Krumm & Jeremy Walsh 🧠 link.springer.com/article/10.118…

heck out the Defy Dementia™ by @Baycrest Dementia 101 episode, which breaks down some of the “basics” of dementia, and guides us through the touching experiences of someone supporting a loved one. 🎧Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or baycrest.org/defy-dementia/

What does it really mean to age well? In our latest episode of GeriEvidence, Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou is joined by Dr. Tricia Woo and Dr. Jasmine Mah for a practical, myth-busting conversation on healthy aging. 🎧 Listen on all podcast platforms! podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ger…

Now Recruiting: Long-Term Care (LTC) Resident Representative 🏡 We’re looking for #LTC Residents to help shape the future of care. Your voice can create meaningful change! Interested or know someone who would be a great fit? Reach out today at kanela@hhsc.ca!

Publication Alert: The Canadian CT Head Rule (CCTHR) guides imaging after head injury with loss of consciousness, amnesia, or disorientation, but evidence is limited when the fall history is unclear. Read the full article here: agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jg…

Check out the new updated OsNET website 🎉 OsNET (Os=bones, NET=network) is Canada’s Bone Health Research Network, uniting patient partners, scientists, and healthcare professionals in a diverse and multidisciplinary community focused on improving bone health for Canadians of all ages. Explore the new site: osnet.ca

Congratulations to our team and our co-investigators on the recent publication in BMC Trials, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ✨ 👏 This paper presents the protocol for a clinical trial that aims to investigate whether a fracture prevention program known as the PREVENT model is effective in reducing hip fractures in long-term care homes (LTC) compared to control homes that continue their usual care. We are so excited to continue supporting research in the long-term care setting! Read it here: rdcu.be/e2HNg

💡 Did you know? People living with dementia experience worse outcomes following a hip fracture than those without dementia. They experience higher mortality rates, reduced functional recovery and reduced quality of life. Learn how integrated, person-centred care can reduce these risks. To learn more, visit the link bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e… @OsteoStrategyON #dementia #fracture #LTC

Fit-Frailty App featured on CHCH News! 🎉 Spotlighting the Fit-Frailty App with Dr. Courtney Kennedy and our research team. In this segment, Dr. Kennedy highlighted why frailty screening matters and how the Fit-Frailty App is helping bring comprehensive assessment into real-world care and research, supporting personalized plans for older adults. Check it out today on our website: gerascentre.ca/our-research/f…

Did you see the Fit-Frailty App featured in the Burlington Gazette? Congratulations to Dr. Courtney Kennedy and the team on this great story highlighting a made-in-Hamilton innovation that addresses frailty in older adults! 👏 The Fit-Frailty App is a digital health tool developed at the Geras Centre for Aging Research, a Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) research centre, funded by HHS and affiliated with McMaster University. The app supports comprehensive frailty screening and has been piloted in clinical practice at Hamilton Health Sciences and with the McMaster Division of Rheumatology, led by Dr. Arthur Lau and Dr. Jonathan (Rick) Adachi. Check out the Fit-Frailty App: gerascentre.ca/our-research/f… The study testing the Fit-Frailty App has also been published in BMJ Open: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/12/… Read the Burlington Gazette feature here: burlingtongazette.ca/frailty-descri…

A new 2025 scoping review highlights the serious impact of hip fractures in people living with dementia, including higher hospitalization rates, falls, and institutionalization. Findings underscore the urgent need for targeted prevention and care strategies 🦴 📚 To learn more, visit the link: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e… @OsteoStrategyON #dementia #fracture #LTC

✨🖥️ After five years of collaborating on Zoom, the creative minds behind the Geras Centre for Aging Research at Hamilton Health Sciences’ website and communications - Dr. Patricia Hewston and Caroline Marr - finally met in person. A great reminder that meaningful partnerships can begin and thrive virtually, but there’s something truly special about finally connecting face to face

Bones matter, especially in long-term care. Hip fractures remain a leading cause of hospitalization, yet many are preventable. 🦴 Explore the key facts in our bone health infographic and learn why action cannot wait. Learn more on our website today: gerascentre.ca/bone-health/

A new session of Cognitive Groove is starting soon at the Hamilton Downtown Family @ymcahbb! Cognitive Groove is designed to support brain health, mobility, and strength through functional, music-based movement. Grounded in research, the program is accessible, engaging, and requires no dance experience. 🗓 Tuesdays and Thursdays 📅 March 3 – May 21, 2026 ⏰ 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm 📍 Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA Members attend free. Non-members: $90. Learn more: ymcahbb.ca

This Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, GeriEvidence brings together lived experience and system leadership in an impactful conversation on Alzheimer’s care. Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou is joined by Phyllis Fehr and Adam Morrison from the @AlzheimerOnt to discuss early signs, delays in diagnosis, dignity in everyday life, and what needs to change so people and families receive support when it truly matters. 🎧 Listen now! Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7kk2Mm… Apple: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ger… Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/4c7b1… iHeartPodcast: iheart.com/podcast/269-ge…

Check out this infographic highlighting fracture prevalence, risk, cost, impact, and prevention strategies in home care, which was designed by the 3F Research Group at Dalhousie University. The infographic is part of their national study, adapting existing fracture prevention guidelines to the home care context. In this study, they are working with home care recipients, formal and informal caregivers, and leading bone-health experts to develop a tailored fracture prevention guideline to reduce fracture risk for people receiving home care across Canada. Learn more here:3fresearchgroup.ca/research-excel… #homecare #fracture

🎧🧠GeriEvidence Season 2 is here! We’re back with new conversations translating aging research into practical insights for clinicians, older adults, and caregivers. In recognition of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou shares the 10 early signs that individuals and families most commonly describe when they first come to see a geriatrician. Apple podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ger… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6klbW4… #AlzheimersAwarenessMonth #DementiaCare #HealthyAging #Geriatrics #GerasCentreforAgingResearch #GeriEvidence

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. In a feature on Alzheimer’s research and care, the McMaster Department of Medicine spoke with Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou and Dr. Demetrios Sahlas about Alzheimer’s-focused work across McMaster University Department of Medicine and Hamilton Health Sciences. Read here: medicine.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/what-mcmaster-… And stay tuned for Season 2 of GeriEvidence, where Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou will share the 10 most common signs that individuals and families often describe when they first come to see a geriatrician. #DementiaResearch #AlzheimersAwarenessMonth #HealthcareInnovation #DementiaCare

Depression is a dementia risk factor. In this special episode marking Blue Monday – a day to discuss mental health – we’ll discuss the relationship between depression and dementia. We’ll hear from Faith Rockburne, Peer Support Specialist with St. Michael's Hospital and an Educator at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, as she shares her journey with depression, and the tools and strategies she used to break her cycle of mental illness, including never losing hope. And Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, Clinician Scientist and Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Epidemiology, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, will share his learnings and insights on the link between depression and dementia risk, and some of the ways depression can be treated and managed. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.