For this year’s Speech and Hearing Month in May, VCHRI researcher and speech-language pathologist Gillian O’Toole explains how communication disorders and hearing loss can impact quality of life for older adults. She also shares interventions to support caregivers, clinicians and loved ones in improving communication health.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a debilitating disease affecting 2.5 million older adults in Canada. Characterized by two main types — dry and wet — the disease targets central vision, impacting activities requiring fine motor skills such as reading or driving.
Immigrants make up around 29 per cent of the population in British Columbia, yet the health care system and health research has largely been designed without the input of immigrant community members. Dr. Mei-ling Wiedmeyer, a Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher, and the IRIS (Evaluating Inequities in Refugee & Immigrants’ Health Access) team have developed a novel methodological approach and toolkit to encourage greater participation of immigrant and migrant voices in health research and health services.
They can cleave apart tissue structures and promote inflammation. Now, research is uncovering the link between granzyme serine proteases and diseases ranging from cardiovascular ailments to asthma, autoimmune conditions, arthritis and skin problems.
Celebrated yearly during the first week of May, Mental Health Week is a time for Canadians to promote mental health awareness. In honor of this annual awareness event, three research coordinators from the Mood Disorders Centre at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, under the guidance of VCHRI investigator Dr. Raymond Lam, discuss the significance of mental health research in improving treatment options and share tips on prioritizing well-being.
A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel Group, Phase 3 Study, Followed by Open-label Extensions, to Evaluate the Efficacy of Oral Belumosudil in Adult Participants With Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD) Following Bilateral Lung Transplantation
At 74 years of age, Kelowna, B.C. resident Carol Purves has regained her rhythm after losing her husband and true love, Ken, in 2019. Accessing a plethora of community services available to her and gaining friendships along the way, Purves has built a community of support that continues to nurture her mind and body.
“I decided to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way in my senior years,” says Purves.
A novel longitudinal outreach program for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), set into motion in the emergency department at Vancouver General Hospital, was associated with better health outcomes. Led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher and emergency room physician, Dr. Andrew Kestler, the outreach program resulted in greater participant housing, retention in substance use care and initiation of opioid agonist therapy.
