The economic burden of Parkinson’s
A new report suggests that 150,000 Canadians will be living with this degenerative disorder by 2034 with direct and indirect costs increasing to 4.4 billion. 80% of those diagnosed will develop dementia. Risks are higher among males.
Parkinson Canada
Veterans deserve specialized care
A new report from the NIA and partners suggests that there is an urgent need for Canada to better support aging in the right place alongside the health and well being of aging veterans. Six evidence informed policy recommendations that include integration of mental health and trauma informed care into everyday care as well as culturally safe care for aging veterans from equity deserving groups.
Colour blindness on the web
Stats show that 86% of the top 1 million websites don’t meet even minimum contrast ratio requirements. Colour and contrasts are not the same for all users—particularly this living with monochropia, trotanopia, and deuteranopia, protanopia. Legal, ethically and for improved user experience, advocates suggest that colour accessibility on a website needs to factor in contrast and text size to minimize ratios and colour definition. Examples include avoiding text overlays on images, hard to see in-text hyperlinks and text in form fields that isn’t sufficiently contracted.
Eye-Able
Covid may double risk of heart attack stroke and death
People with any type of COVID-19 infection were twice as likely to have a major cardiac, stroke or even death for up to three years. The risk was even higher for those hospitalized and a previous history of heart disease. There were no genetic variants identified but those with A, B, and AB blood types had higher risk. (60% of the world’s population). Results were from a study of nearly one quarter million and point to an expected increase in cardiovascular disease globally.
Cleveland Clinic
Don’t fall for purpose washing
Pertaining to insincere claims of social responsibilities, purpose washing can impact initiatives, ruin reputations and erode trust. To avoid getting duped watch for a lack of openness and transparency, missing dialogues and accurate metrics to back up clams. You should also expect to see genuine collaborations with experts and credible not for profits as well as a dedication to continuous improvement. Real measurable impact is key.
Purpose and Profit
Higher risks of diabetes
According to a 2024 summary there are Canadians facing significantly higher risk of the overall population. Of note: Adult men are more likely to get type 2 diabetes than women. Recommendations highlight the need for increased education and awareness of risk factors for:
• Canada’s 1.8 million Indigenous people
• The 30% of Canadians who self-identify as being of African, Arab, Asian, or Hispanic descent.
AI trends
Trying to catch up or keep up with trends? Industry expert Alexandra Greenhill suggests that AI isn’t applicable everywhere. Rather she suggests:
1) Questions should be asked about other solutions
2) There needs to be healthcare specific regulation and guidance is on the way
3) You’ll find only usable right now in 3 domains… clinical, admin and research objectives where large data sets are available and risk of errors is lower
4) Beware of bias that comes from data used to train models.
Kindness and weight loss
As we know, high calorie, processed food is usually tempting and losing weight difficult. Now, a study from Philadelphia’s Drexel University suggests that practicing self-compassion can help people cope with their lack of willpower, self-defeating thoughts and feelings and weight loss setbacks. Researchers say that when participants spoke kindly rather than critically to themselves it helped them move forward and start achieve their new goals without guilt and negative self- blame.
drexel.edu
Spotlight on…
Children’s Healthcare Canada is a national association that works to reduce fragmentation in children’s health services while creating system wide change, share evidence informed practices, programs and policies, accelerate excellence and innovation in health systems who are caring for children and youth. Membership includes; children’s
tertiary/quaternary and rehab hospitals, community hospitals and treatment centres that serve children and youth, regional health authorities and home/respite care providers. Values include collaboration, demonstrated leadership to make brave decisions, fresh thinking, inclusiveness and focus on resources that matter most to members.
