The Brainwell Institute

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The Brainwell Institute

Dementia-focused Think-tank, dedicated to igniting change through research & action.

01/15/2026

Caregiving for dementia is full of labour no one else sees: the way you absorb fear so your loved one doesn’t have to, the choices you make with a lump in your throat, the way you hold love and grief in the same breath 💔

You navigate fragmented services, re‑tell your story to yet another provider, and somehow still show up with tenderness✨️

And the quiet 11th thing, the one that rarely gets named: you do it all again tomorrow.

No caregiver should have to shoulder this alone or stitch together care in a system that doesn’t talk to itself. Dementia care coordination isn’t a luxury — it’s how we close the gaps our Mind the Gap report is calling out.

💜 If these words reflect someone you love, please save this post as a reminder that their labour matters, and share it to keep the need for coordinated dementia care front and centre.

12/19/2025

✨️ Just how much care do caregivers provide? What does it mean for the economy?

We often don't think about the economic impact that caregivers who leave the workforce to tend to loved ones with dementia, but it's time we do!

12/10/2025

🔐 Unlocking our brain health is the key to lowering dementia risk. 🧠💜

So how do we start? ✨️

12/02/2025

How is our healthcare system approaching patients with dementia?

Not how it should be.

Disengagement from life is absolutely not a treatment.

Saskia shares her insights with on how we should be dealing with dementia after diagnosis.

💜🧠🇨🇦

10/31/2025

Last weekend, news broke that the first in a class of drugs to address the underlying cause of early disease - Leqembi- has just been conditionally approved.

This is a huge step forward in approaching diagnosis with hope, and for beginning to understand treatments, rather than disengagement.

Dr. Sivananthan had the chance to discuss this news in more detail with

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10/08/2025

When dementia progresses, planning isn’t just about paperwork — it’s about preparing for what matters most. 💜

This post is a gentle guide to help you look over the horizon — to understand what may come, and to make sure care aligns with comfort, dignity, and personal values.

Early conversations about care, including palliative care, can help families feel grounded and supported as needs change. 🌿

✨ Save this post as a resource to revisit — and remember, planning ahead is an act of love, not loss.

10/01/2025

📢 Dementia care in Canada 🇨🇦 deserves the same transformation we’ve seen in cancer and stroke care. 🧠💜 Right now, too many families are left navigating a system that isn’t built to support them.

If you’ve been impacted by dementia, your voice matters. Share your story through the form 🔗 in our bio to show policymakers that we must and build a system that reflects the needs and experiences of Canadians.

We’re deeply grateful to organizations across the country who have lent their voices and leadership in support of the Mind the Gap report's findings (brainwellinstitute.org/mindthegap).

Together, we can raise awareness and push for the change that people living with dementia and their care partners deserve. 🙏✨

09/22/2025

🌍 Dementia care in Canada is not built for everyone.

For people with Down syndrome — who often develop dementia at a younger age — the system too often overlooks their needs. Mind the Gap calls for inclusive, equitable, and coordinated care that leaves no one behind. The Canadian Down Syndrome Society stands behind this vision.

🗣️ Have you felt the gaps in care firsthand? Share your story through the link in our bio. Every voice helps show why dementia care must change — for all of us.

Together, we can

09/04/2025

💔 Dementia impacts livelihoods, stability, and security.

Caregiving for someone with dementia contributes to $25 billion in lost productivity every year in Canada. Many caregivers are forced to leave their jobs or accept lower-paying work to provide care.

This isn’t just a personal sacrifice — it’s a systemic failure. Families shouldn’t have to lose their income, careers, or futures to fill the gaps in dementia care.

👉 What have you lost to dementia? Share your experience in the comments. Your story helps push for change.

🔗 Read more in Mind the Gap: brainwellinstitute.org/mindthegap

09/02/2025

💔 Dementia is a terminal illness — yet only 39% of people living with dementia receive palliative care, compared to 77% of people with cancer.

This gap isn’t just a statistic. It’s families left without support, and dignity denied.

Every person deserves compassionate end-of-life care, no matter their diagnosis. It’s time to close the gap.

08/14/2025

Front page coverage in 3 major newspapers since the release of "Mind the Gap".

We couldn't be more proud to be driving forward such an urgently imperative conversation for Canada.

07/28/2025

🕐 Before the 1940s, it was thought that older people living with dementia were simply mentally ill. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

👉 Treating dementia as a mental illness became the base upon which long-term care institutions were built.

💡 To this day, the myth that dementia is a mental illness permeates in long-term care and manifests in the care of residents.

🧠 For example, anti-psychotic medications are very commonly used to treat behaviour that is deemed difficult. Though best practices are to avoid the use of such drugs, they are heavily relied on still.

📣 Let's understand that dementia is not a mental illness, and deserves appropriate treatments, care and understanding.

Address

182 Oak Park Avenue
Toronto, ON
M4C4MB

Telephone

+16476997410

Website

http://brainwellinstitute.org/

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