November 29, 2022
- Possibilities by Baycrest™ is a transformational, compassionate, and customized approach to caring for persons with dementia. It is the only dementia care model based in neuroscience that applies the most innovative emerging technologies to support wellbeing.
- The model shifts away from traditional task-based care and prioritizes giving choice and autonomy to help preserve abilities and reignite a sense of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment for people living with dementia.
TORONTO – November 28, 2022.
Can people living with dementia still make personal choices, have meaningful relationships, continue to be valued and even develop novel interests and abilities? The answer is yes, when their support is based on the revolutionary Possibilities by Baycrest™ model. This novel and innovative memory care model, first introduced at Baycrest Terraces this past spring, creates uniquely customized experiences so individuals living with dementia can live a life of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment.
Possibilities by Baycrest™ is the only dementia care model firmly based in cognitive neuroscience, a field of study in which the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest is a world leader. It is also backed by Baycrest’s 104-year history of caring for older adults across a full continuum of dementia care services and programs.
Working with scientists at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, multi-disciplinary clinicians and individuals and their caregivers living with dementia, the model is based on a core philosophy of maximizing the potential of each person while revealing new, inspiring and fulfilling interests and abilities.
Through the application of the most innovative emerging technologies, the model offers customized leisure activities, uniquely engaging social and spiritual connections, and opportunities to revisit old skills and hobbies while exploring and starting new ones.
There are currently more than 600,000 people living with dementia in Canada. By 2030, that number is projected to rise to nearly one million. New, compassionate and researched-based methods to support people living with dementia are essential, as are long-term care facilities that can deliver that care.
“My mother-in-law Esther was diagnosed with dementia in 2020, followed by the sudden passing of her husband. She became depressed, and to make matters worse, she broke her hip. Since moving in to Baycrest Terraces and receiving care by Possibilities by Baycrest™ this past year, Esther has reignited her passion for baking: cookies, cheesecake and challah. She’s exercising – which she’s never done before, and is once again enjoying playing cards, a pastime she adored with her late husband. The unique and tailored approach to Esther’s care, coupled with staff who are incredibly attentive and warm towards Esther, give us the comfort of knowing she is surrounded by people who love and care for her,” said Debbie Kapp, Esther Kapp’s daughter-in-law.
When an individual begins to receive care from the Possibilities by Baycrest
TM model, experienced staff get to know the person and their values and goals, which includes assessing where the individual is along their dementia journey. Working with the resident, their loved ones and friends, Baycrest learns about the individual through a guided series of questions to understand their life story and preferences, which helps inform the creation of a custom-built care plan with daily experiences tailored to the individual’s needs and passions.
According to Dr. William E. Reichman, President and CEO of Baycrest and a world recognized expert in dementia care, “Most of the traditional ways of caring for an individual with dementia in congregate senior care settings such as nursing homes, are unnecessarily rigid and focused entirely on task-based personal care assistance and safety; this is often in order to comply with governmental regulations.”
“There is a demonstrable lack of reflection into a person’s core identity, life experiences, interests, retained intellectual (cognitive) abilities and future potential to be inspired and fulfilled. Along with Possibilities by Baycrest™, other Memory Care models such as Greenhouse, the Eden Alternative and Butterfly also emphasize personal choice and flexible staff roles and responsibilities. Each recognizes the vital importance of establishing empathic relationships between care providers and residents in a home-like setting. However, only Possibilities by Baycrest™ is hyper-customized to each individual’s needs, interests, abilities, and potential through the application of neuroscience-based insights. To an unrivalled degree, Possibilities by Baycrest™ further exploits Baycrest’s sector-leading access to the most impactful emerging technologies to support the well-being of individuals living with dementia.”
Through its introduction in Canada and dissemination across the globe, Possibilities by Baycrest™ will signal to all concerned about a dementia diagnosis, that this doesn’t have to be the end of the life they once knew. Instead, it can herald the start of a new journey, filled with possibilities to have purpose while being inspired and fulfilled.
We encourage everyone to learn more about Possibilities by Baycrest™ by visiting possibilities.baycrest.org
About Baycrest
Baycrest is a global leader in research, innovation, education and health and residential care for older adults, with a special focus on brain aging. Home to an unrivalled research and innovation network, Baycrest includes one of the world's top institutes for cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute; the scientific headquarters of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Canada's largest national dementia research initiative; and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on developing and bringing to market the most impactful technologies to enhance the wellbeing of older persons at risk for or living with dementia. Baycrest also helps aging adults assess, monitor, maintain and enhance cognition through an innovative portfolio of evidence-based products and services offered through its brain health company, Cogniciti. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides exemplary care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
For media requests, please contact:
Orsolya Soos
OSoos@baycrest.org
416-785-2500 ext. 6579