McGill alumnus Marc Séguin, MBA, is the author of Advocacy in Aging, a book about estate and healthcare planning. It was influenced by his personal experience helping families plan and deal with inevitable changes in life that are triggered by aging, including dementia. These experiences enabled him to develop the PACT (Plan-Activate-Communicate-Tr…

During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia. From survivor to leader: A journey of resilience and advocacy Join us for an inspiring webcast featuring a courageous cancer survivor who turned her personal battle into a powerful mission. Laurel Gillespie, MBA,…

Carmen Desjardins, BSc(N) is Program Manager of the Dementia and Psychiatric Comorbidities Program at the Douglas Research Institute. She was the chief and founder of the Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) ambulatory team of the Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS l'Ouest-de-l'…

Carmen Desjardins, B. Sc. (inf.), est chef du Programme de démence avec comorbidités psychiatriques à l’Institut de recherche Douglas. Elle a été chef et fondatrice de l’équipe ambulatoire des symptômes comportementaux et psychologiques de la démence (SCPD) du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montr…

Christopher Labos, MD, MSc, is a cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology, an Associate at the McGill University Office for Science and Society and co-host of the award-winning podcast The Body of Evidence. He is a columnist with the Montreal Gazette and Medscape, featured on the Sunday Morning House Call on CJAD 800 Montreal, and has a regular T…

Sarah Widmeyer is Senior Vice-President, Wealth Strategies and Chief Marketing Officer at Richardson Wealth Limited. Ms. Widmeyer currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto and has served for 8 years as a Director of the Women’s Brain Health Initiative, a charitable organization focused on funding research and …

Join us on December 4th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia. Lorenzo’s House – a beacon of light for young onset patients and their families Lorenzo’s House is a non-profit so…

De nouvelles recherches montrent que nous pouvons prendre des mesures pour prévenir et ralentir le déclin cognitif en renforçant notre réserve cognitive. Sylvie Belleville, Ph. D., est titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en neurosciences cognitives du vieillissement et plasticité cérébrale, professeure titulaire au Département de psycholo…

Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest is a road map for navigating a life-changing diagnosis. The book’s authors, Dr. Hsien Seow and Dr. Sammy Winemaker, have identified seven keys to unlock a better illness experience. They will discuss those keys and how they apply to a diagnosis of dementia. Hsien Seow, MD is the Canada Research Chair in Palliati…

In July, the Lancet Commission launched its 2024 report on dementia prevention, intervention, and care. Dr. Gauthier will explain the new findings on modifiable risk factors for dementia, and how addressing them can prevent or delay disease progression. Serge Gauthier, MD, is a clinical neurologist specializing in the development of new tools for d…

En juillet, la Commission Lancet a publié son rapport 2024 sur la prévention, les interventions et les soins associés aux troubles neurocognitifs. Le Dr Gauthier expliquera en quoi consistent les découvertes sur les facteurs de risque modifiables des troubles neurocognitifs, et comment leur prise en compte peut prévenir ou retarder la progression d…

NOTE: This episode is in French only. These topics were addressed in English in April, 2024 Hélène Guay est une avocate, diplômée de McGill, en étroite collaboration avec les personnes âgées et leurs partenaires de soins afin de démystifier et de faciliter les processus juridiques. Elle pratique depuis plus de 30 ans le droit de la santé, le droit …

Christina Smith has been involved in municipal politics with the City of Westmount for over ten years. She was first elected as City Councillor in 2013, then as Mayor in 2017. Mayor Smith will share her experience as a caregiver to her late father who recently passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. She will talk about the impact this disease has had…

Joanne Besner, BSW, MBA, ACC, and caregiver, received her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Business Administration from McGill University, and a Professional Coaching designation from the John Molson Executive Centre at Concordia University. Ms. Besner coaches and facilitates workshops for health care professionals and community organizations,…

Pam Orzeck, MSW, PhD, is Associate Professor in the McGill School of Social Work and part of the coordination team at the Caregiver Grief Connexion project. Her latest research focuses on women's bereavement experiences after caregiving. She has published several articles and co-edited a book on professional interventions with caregivers. Zelda Fre…

Stephanie Geller, MSW, is the Team Lead, Clinical Social Worker, at Lianas Senior Transition Support. She has been working with seniors for the last 25 years, helping them and their families with caregiving issues, including navigating social services, work-life balance issues, stress, anxiety, burnout and coping through major life decisions. Anna …

Andrea Warnick, RN, MA, is a Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Nurse who supports individuals, families and communities who are grieving illness or death in their lives. She co-owns AWC Grief Support, a group practice of over 30 therapists who provide grief therapy across Ontario and grief consultation and education across Canada. Ms. Warni…

Julie Bickerstaff, MSW, is Director of Caregiver Support & Knowledge Transfer at l’Appui pour les proches aidants, a caregiver support organization. Over the past 20 years of working in the health and social services network, public health, territorial organization and community sectors, she has developed a rich and varied expertise in consultation…

Marie-Eve Bolduc, PhD, is Assistant Professor (professional) at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University. Her research interests are directed toward brain-based disabilities, pediatric outcome research and simulation education. Using her experience as an occupational therapist, curriculum lead and simulation educator, sh…

Marie-Eve Bolduc, Ph. D., est professeure adjointe à l’École de physiothérapie et d’ergothérapie de l’Université McGill. Ses intérêts de recherche touchent particulièrement les troubles d’origine cérébraux, les troubles développementaux et l’enseignement par simulation. Forte de son expérience d’ergothérapeute, de responsable de programme et d’éduc…

Jocelyn Downie is a Professor Emerita in the Faculties of Law and Medicine at Dalhousie University with a particular interest in end-of-life care. She served as Special Advisor to the Canadian Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide and was involved in several national and provincial expert panels that address end-of-life decision-makin…

McGill Cares was launched by the Dementia Education Program during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, on May 13, 2020, while many of us were isolating at home. Claire Webster, Founder of the Program, had the idea to record short interviews with different experts on topics of interest to care partners of people living with neurocognitive disor…

Lucy Barylak, MSW, is a social gerontology consultant for the CIUSSS-West-Central Montreal and a graduate of the McGill University School of Social Work, where she is also a liaison supervisor. Ms. Barylak has developed evidence-based training for seniors and caregivers, and she lectures in the field of social gerontology and knowledge transfer. Sh…

Corrie Sirota is a clinical social worker and sessional lecturer at the McGill School of Social Work who specializes in loss, bereavement. Corrie is also a TEDx speaker, the Clinical Director at Myra's Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports bereaved children and their families and the author of Someone Died...Now What? A Personal …

Mr. Matt Del Vecchio is a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA). He is the owner of Lianas Senior Transition Support, which provides families with guidance and support in navigating home care and senior living communities. Mr. Del Vecchio is also co-host of a popular weekly radio show, “Life Unrehearsed” on CJAD800 in Montreal and write…

Nancy Mayo, PhD, is a Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Medicine and the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University. She is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, where she leads a research p…

Serge Gauthier, MD, is a clinical neurologist specializing in the development of new tools for diagnosis and treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. He is the Academic Co-Lead for the Dementia Education Program and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery and the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. …

Serge Gauthier, MD, est neurologue clinicien spécialisé dans le développement de nouveaux outils de diagnostic et de traitement pour les personnes souffrant de la maladie d’Alzheimer. Il est coresponsable universitaire du Programme de formation sur la démence et professeur émérite au Département de neurologie et neurochirurgie et au Département de …

Zahinoor Ismail, MD, is a clinician scientist and Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Epidemiology, and Pathology at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. He is also Chair of the Canadian Conference on Dementia, and Chair of the Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatmen…

Pedro Rosa-Neto, MD, is Director of the McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging (MCSA). He is a Professor of Neurology at McGill University and a clinical neurologist with expertise in the quantification of dementia pathophysiology and preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease using biomarkers. He is also affiliated with the Dougl…

Marie Moliner is a full-time caregiver for Kevin Whitaker, her true love who has Parkinson’s disease and dementia. She participated in the making of Still Headroom: Parkinson’s and the Power of Care, a short documentary about her life with Kevin. She is writing a book about her experience and volunteers as Assistant Editor for the Townships Sun. Be…

Maria Natasha Rajah, PhD, is Full Professor and Vice-Dean, Academic Affairs at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Douglas Research Centre. She conducts sex and gender research in the cognitive neuroscience of memory, aging and dementia prevention. She also studies how biological sex assigned at birth, gender, and …

Louis Bherer, PhD, is Full Professor at the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and the Director of the Centre ÉPIC at the Montreal Heart Institute, where he holds the Mirella and Lino Saputo Chair in Cardiovascular Health and Prevention of Cognitive Disorders. He is also a researcher at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de M…

Serge Gauthier, MD, is a clinical neurologist specializing in the development of new tools for diagnosis and treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. He is the Academic Co-Lead for the Dementia Education Program and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery and the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. …

Serge Gauthier, MD, est neurologue clinicien spécialisé dans le développement de nouveaux outils de diagnostic et de traitement pour les personnes souffrant de la maladie d’Alzheimer. Il est coresponsable universitaire du Programme de formation sur la démence et professeur émérite au Département de neurologie et neurochirurgie et au Département de …

Justin Sanders, MD, is the Kappy and Eric M. Flanders Chair of Palliative Care, Director of the Division of Palliative Care, and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. Dr. Sanders' work focuses on the promotion of authentic healing relationships in serious illness through social-science informed and equity-fo…

Christopher Labos, MD, MSc, is a cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology and an Associate at the McGill University Office for Science and Society. He is a freelance contributor for the Montreal Gazette and CJAD Radio, and has also appeared on CBC Radio and CBC Television. Dr. Labos will talk about the impact of alcohol on cognitive and cardiovas…

Guylaine  Ferland, Ph. D., est professeure de nutrition à l’Université de Montréal et scientifique au Centre de recherche de l’Institut de cardiologie de Montréal. La Pre Ferland mène des recherches sur le rôle général de la nutrition dans la santé cognitive pendant le vieillissement. Elle est une experte du métabolisme de la vitamine K, et son équ…

Gustavo Duque, MD, PhD, is a geriatrician and a clinical and biomedical researcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He is the Director of the RIUSSS McGill Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health of Seniors at McGill University and the Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Duque's primary research…

Wendy Weidner is Head of Research and Publications for Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). She leads the development and growth of ADI’s global research portfolio in partnership with academic institutions and Alzheimer associations for many projects including diagnosis, dementia care pathways, interventions, clinical trials, epidemiology, and …

Isabelle Gélinas, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation in Montreal and a member of the Candrive Research Team, interested in driving in the elderly. She developed the …

Isabelle Gélinas, Ph. D., est professeure agrégée et directrice des programmes d’études supérieures à l’École de physiothérapie et d’ergothérapie de l’Université McGill. Elle est aussi chercheuse au Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation de Montréal et membre de l’équipe de recherche Candrive, qui s’intéresse à la conduite automobil…

Sandra E. Black, MD, FRCPC, is Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto. She is an internationally known cognitive and stroke neurologist. She was the inaugural Executive Director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (2012-20), and in April 2020, she became Scientific Director of the Dr. Sandra Black Centre for Brain Resi…

Ziad Nasreddine, MD, founder and Director of the MoCA Clinic and Institute, is a graduate of the University of Sherbrooke Medical School and is actively involved in clinical research on Alzheimer’s disease. He created and developed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the MoCA test, available in 100 languages and dialects and used in 200 countries ar…

Saskia Sivananthan, PhD, is Chief Science and Knowledge Translation Officer at the Alzheimer Society of Canada, where she oversees the Alzheimer Society Research Program.  She is a neuroscientist and health data scientist focusing on dementia care. In 2020, the Federal Minister of Health (Canada) appointed her to the Ministerial Advisory Board on D…

Nutrition and Dementia Guylaine Ferland, PhD, is a professor of nutrition at Université de Montréal and a scientist at the Research Centre of the Montreal Heart Institute. Dr. Ferland conducts research on the general role of nutrition in cognitive health during aging. She is an expert in vitamin K metabolism and her team has made significant contri…

Robert W. Francis, MDCM, graduated from the McGill Faculty of Medicine in 1968. He is founder and former Chairman Emeritus of Medcan Health Management Inc. and most recently the founder and CEO of ReGen Scientific Inc., both of which are medical services clinics focused on preventative medicine. While caring for his wife, Sharon, who passed away fr…

Bassam Khoury, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology at McGill University. He is a clinical psychologist specializing in mindfulness-based treatments. He and his team at the McGill Mindfulness Research Lab conduct research on advancing the theory, research, and applications of mindfulness and compa…

Michael Wiseman, DDS, is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at McGill University who has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on geriatric dentistry. He has a private practice in Côte Saint-Luc and is on staff at several Montreal hospitals, including Mount Sinai, St. Mary’s and Ste. Anne’s. Dr. Wiseman will speak about…

Joanne Besner, BSW, MBA, PPCC, and caregiver, received her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Business Administration from McGill University, and a Professional Coaching designation from the John Molson Executive Centre at Concordia University. Ms. Besner coaches and facilitates workshops for health care professionals and community organizations…