Research into healthy aging at Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) got a boost recently, thanks to the HSN Volunteer Association.
The association announced a commitment to an additional $300,000 over the next two years to the Chair in Health Aging and continue research to prevent and reduce frailty for seniors admitted to hospital.
Dr. Janet McElhaney is the holder of the Health Science North Volunteer Association Chair in Healthy Aging. To date, the HSN VA has pledged a total of $750,000 to Dr. McElhaney’s research into seniors’ health over the past five years.
A cheque for $300,000 was presented to McElhaney to continue her research and working with seniors admitted to hospital at Health Sciences North (HSN).
“Each and every time someone supports the lotto booth, the gift shop or the Café at Sudbury Outpatient Centre run by our dedicated volunteers, you are supporting our initiatives which include funding the Chair in Health Aging. We want to express our sincere delight in our affiliation with Dr. McElhaney”, said Adam Haight, President of HSN VA.
McElhaney is a leading scientist on the benefits of the flu vaccine, and has pioneered the “48/5” intervention to assist hospitalized seniors. She also collaborates with Indigenous communities regarding health issues facing older Indigenous adults in Northern Ontario.
These are just a few of her current research projects. Thanks to the ongoing support of the HSN VA, Dr. Janet McElhaney, who is the vice president of research and the scientific director of HSNRI, is able to continue this important research for another two years.
“The support of HNS VA provides an opportunity to continue to find real solutions for our seniors and contribute to a healthier north,” said McElhaney.
Since McElhaney relocated her practice to the North, she has helped seniors in the community and HSN, and has played a vital role in enhancing the life of older adults.
“Dr. McElhaney and her team assisted my mother during her hospital stay. Once the initial geriatric assessment was completed, my mother and our family were provided a treatment plan. We all had a greater understanding of the steps to recovery. Geriatric specialists in the community are vitally important to our seniors’ health and their long term care planning”, said Brenda Merrick, Patient and Family Advisor at HSN.
In a release, the facility said the support from HSNVA supports "world-class" research in seniors health to be done in the Northern Ontario.
“The research being led by Dr. McElhaney is impacting the entire health care community. She is changing how health care is designed and delivered globally”, said Dr. Dennis Roy, the president and CEO of HSN and the CEO of HSNRI.
