Impact of a national dementia research consortium: The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was created by the Canadian federal government through its health research funding agency, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in 2014, as a response to the G7 initiative to fight dementia. Two five-year funding cycles (2014-2019; 2019-2024) have occurred following peer review, and a third cycle (Phase 3) has just begun. A unique construct was mandated, consisting of 20 national teams in Phase I and 19 teams in Phase II (with research topics spanning from basic to clinical science to health resource systems) along with cross-cutting programs to support them.

Burnout and occupational stress of home care rehabilitation professionals transitioning out of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the home healthcare industry, with increased rates of burnout and stress among homecare rehabilitation professionals (hcRPs). This study aimed to (1) examine the nature of burnout and occupational stress among homecare rehabilitation professionals at a large home care organization in Ontario, Canada, transitioning out of the pandemic, and (2) assess its impact on work participation and engagement.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Generic Job Stress Questionnaire and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory to examine burnout and job stress.

Trabecular Bone Score in Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To describe lumbar spine (LS) trabecular bone score (TBS) values after SCI, and to explore the differences in fractures risk assessment between FRAX® and TBS-adjusted FRAX® in individuals living with chronic SCI.

Methods: Baseline dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans from an established cohort were acquired using a Hologic Discovery QDR 4500. TBS measurements were performed using the TBS iNsight software version 2.

Realistic dual-task listening-while-balancing in older adults with normal hearing and hearing loss with and without hearing aids.

Age-related hearing loss is a risk factor for mobility problems and falls, possibly due to poor access to spatial sounds or the higher allocation of attention required to listen, thereby reducing cognitive resources to support mobility. Introducing stabilizing spatial sounds or reducing cognitive load through hearing aids could possibly improve balance performance; however, evidence is mixed. Few studies have evaluated the effects of hearing aids and spatial sounds on balance during realistic, multisensory, dual-tasking conditions.

Unveiling the Impact of Respiratory Event-Related Hypoxia on Heart Sound Intensity During Sleep Using Novel Wearable Technology.

Purpose: Cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of mortality worldwide with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as the independent risk factor. Heart sounds are strong modalities to obtain clinically relevant information regarding the functioning of the heart valves and blood flow. The objective of this study was to use a small wearable device to record and investigate the changes in heart sounds during respiratory events (reduction and cessation of breathings) and their association with oxyhemoglobin desaturation (hypoxemia).

Development of a closed-loop controller for functional electrical stimulation therapy plus visual feedback balance training for standing balance training.

Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) demonstrate impaired upright balance, resulting in increased fall risk. Task-specific visual feedback balance training (VFBT) has previously been shown to improve upright balance. In addition, therapies using functional electrical stimulation (FES) have been shown to improve various motor functions.

"Using the right tools and addressing the right issue": A qualitative exploration to support better care for intimate partner violence, brain injury, and mental health.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health crisis. Often repetitive and occurring over prolonged periods of time, IPV puts survivors at high risk of brain injury (BI). Mental health concerns are highly prevalent both among individuals who have experienced IPV and those who have experienced BI, yet the interrelatedness and complexity of these three challenges when experienced together is poorly understood.

Future care planning of adults with childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disabilities: A scoping review.

Background: Advances in medicine have increased the life expectancy of adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities (ND). These individuals often reside with aging family caregivers, who also experience age-related health issues. However, many caregivers lack future care plans for their adult children.

Effect of Soundscape Augmentation on Behavioral Symptoms in People With Dementia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Objectives: Sound is an important environmental factor that influences the expression of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Recent research on the effect of soundscape has shown promising results in improving environmental impact on people with dementia. However, no controlled studies have aimed to quantify the effects of soundscape intervention on resident outcomes.

Remote Exercise Engagement Among Individuals With Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators.

Purpose: To systematically review the literature regarding barriers and facilitators to remote exercise among individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Review Methods: Six databases were searched (inception-December 2023). Studies including barriers and facilitators for remote exercise reported by individuals living with CVD were considered.

Smartphone-Based Hand Function Assessment: Systematic Review.

Background: Hand function assessment heavily relies on specific task scenarios, making it challenging to ensure validity and reliability. In addition, the wide range of assessment tools, limited and expensive data recording, and analysis systems further aggravate the issue. However, smartphones provide a promising opportunity to address these challenges.

Application of an Auditory-Based Feedback Distortion to Modify Gait Symmetry in Healthy Individuals.

Background: Augmenting auditory feedback through an error-augmentation paradigm could facilitate the perception and correction of gait asymmetry in stroke survivors, but how such a paradigm should be tailored to individual asymmetry profiles remains unclear. Before implementing the paradigm in rehabilitation, we need to investigate the instantaneous effects of distorted footstep sound feedback on gait symmetry in healthy young adults.

Methods: Participants ( = 12) walked on a self-paced treadmill while listening to their footstep sounds, which were distorted unilaterally according to five conditions presented randomly: small delay; small advance; large delay; large advance; or unmodified (control).

"A whole ball of all-togetherness": The interwoven experiences of intimate partner violence, brain injury, and mental health.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health crisis, with physical violence leaving IPV survivors at high risk of brain injury (BI). Both BI and IPV have significant physical, psychological, cognitive, and social impacts, including a high risk of mental health concerns, yet there is limited exploration of IPV survivors' experiences with BI and mental health. This study aimed to explore the BI- and mental health-related needs and experiences of IPV survivors from the perspectives of survivors and service providers with the objective of developing knowledge translation materials to raise awareness and support survivors and service providers in addressing these concerns.

The effects of occupational and mental stress among home care rehabilitation professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic: An exploratory qualitative study.

Home care rehabilitation professionals (hcRPs) provide health services for clients with a broad range of medical conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, home care rehabilitation professionals experienced exacerbations of pre-existing work-related stressors, increased risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, reduced resource availability, greater workloads, and staffing shortages. The primary aim of this study was to examine the experience and impact of occupational and mental stress on hcRPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individual factors and vection in younger and older adults: How sex, field dependence, personality, and visual attention do (or do not) affect illusory self-motion.

An important aspect to an immersive experience in Virtual Reality is vection, defined as the illusion of self-motion. Much of the literature to date has explored strategies to maximize vection through manipulations of the visual stimulus (e.g.

A qualitative study of individuals with acquired brain injury' and program facilitators' experiences in virtual acquired brain injury community support programs.

Purpose: Acquired brain injury (ABI) community support programs aim to help support long-term needs through informational and psychosocial support. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many support programs adopted virtual program delivery. However, the experiences of facilitators and people with ABI who participate in virtual support programs are understudied.

Sustaining a Workforce: Reflections on Work from Home and Community Care Nurses Transitioning out of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on nurses' well-being and desire to practice; however, the experience of Canadian home and community care nurses remains less well understood. As the health human resources crisis in this sector persists, understanding these nurses' experiences may be vital in creating more effective retention strategies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the working experiences, motivations, and attitudes of home and community care nurses in the Greater Toronto Area.

"Somewhere along the line, your mask isn't going to be fitting right": institutional racism in Black narratives of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation across the practice continuum.

Background: Over two decades of research about traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation emphasized the persistence of racial health disparities in functional outcomes that disproportionately impact Black populations without naming or addressing racism as the root problem. Further, the experiences of Black people with TBI have yet to be documented and accounted for in scientific scholarship from the perspectives of Black persons in Canada.

Purpose: This study intended to examine the rehabilitation narratives of Black TBI survivors, family caregivers, and rehabilitation providers and use critical race theory as a conceptual framework to understand how anti-Black racism manifests in those experiences.

Designing the User Interface of a Nitroglycerin Dose Titration Decision Support System: User-Centered Design Study.

Background:  Nurses adjust intravenous nitroglycerin infusions to provide acute relief for angina by manually increasing or decreasing the dosage. However, titration can pose challenges, as excessively high doses can lead to hypotension, and low doses may result in inadequate pain relief. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) that predict changes in blood pressure for nitroglycerin dose adjustments may assist nurses with titration.

A PROGRESS-driven approach to cognitive outcomes after traumatic brain injury: A study protocol for advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion through knowledge synthesis and mobilization.

Evidence syntheses for advancing equitable traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, policy, and practice presents formidable challenges. Research and clinical frameworks are currently not specific to equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations, despite evidence that persons with TBI live in societies in which power imbalances and systems of social dominance may privilege some people and marginalize others. The present protocol outlines a strategy for a research program, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, that explores the integration of PROGRESS-Plus parameters in research with the goal of advancing open-science databases and tools to improve our understanding of equity in cognitive and brain health outcomes in TBI.