August 21, 2017
Baycrest Global Solutions Inc., the commercial arm of Baycrest Health Sciences, has signed a new $7.8 million deal with Beijing-based Zhonghong Holding Co., Ltd. (“Zhonghong Group”) to help create a full service health, wellness, prevention, and homecare service for older adults in the city of Sanya, located in the Hainan province of China. This pilot project will take place over the next four and a half years, with a view to building a long-term collaborative partnership.
China’s population is undergoing a rapid shift. The number of older adults in China is climbing, while the youth population is declining. Currently, China has more than 200 million people aged 65 years and older. This number is expected to jump to 450 million by 2043.
“China, along with many other countries, is on the verge of experiencing a ‘Grey Tsunami.’ As experts in the field of aging and brain health, Baycrest has an obligation to collaborate with global leaders to prepare for the dramatic demographic shift currently underway around the globe,” says Dr. William Reichman, President and CEO of Baycrest Health Sciences. “We see these types of international partnerships as part of our hospital’s mandate to improve the wellbeing of people, not just in our own community, but also around the globe. It is part of Baycrest’s heritage.”
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, oversaw the signing of the agreement while attending a symposium on senior care at Beijing Hospital on Thursday, July 13, 2017.
“Such projects point to Canada’s potential as a partner for China. Together, we can achieve great success in developing and implementing senior care solutions,” said His Excellency during the symposium on senior care at Beijing Hospital. “Similar to Canada’s, China’s population is aging fast, and we have much to gain by strengthening our existing partnerships and finding additional avenues for senior care co-operation.”
While at the symposium, Baycrest also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Hospital, which envisions future agreements where Baycrest would assist the hospital in becoming a leading centre for geriatric service training in China.
About Baycrest Global Solutions
Through its strategic relationship with Baycrest Health Sciences, one of the world’s top academic health sciences centres in aging and brain health, Baycrest Global Solutions Inc. helps healthcare providers deliver the best in geriatrics programming, therapies, education and technologies.
About Baycrest Health Sciences
Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and home to one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is also home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti – a free online assessment tool for Canadians aged 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: www.baycrest.org.
For media inquiries:
Jonathan MacIndoe
Baycrest Health Sciences
416-785-2500 ext. 6579
jmacindoe@baycrest.org