MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL announce 16 envisAGE collaborative projects to enhance older adults’ quality of life with Canadian innovations

EDMONTON, AB, Oct. 23, 2024 /CNW/ – MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL proudly announce the first 16 collaborative projects resulting from an unprecedented national mobilization through envisAGE, an initiative created to propel Canada to the forefront of the AgeTech sector and foster quality aging nationwide.

Each project brings together a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with a later-stage technological solution, an envisAGE Beachhead™ or an Innovation Hub, experts that will assess the integration of the solution, and a Community Lab, such as an organization working with seniors and caregivers, in a real-world setting where the solution will be implemented. 

In all, the projects involve 16 SMEs and 11 organizations across Canada and will receive a combination of funding, expert coaching, and supportive resources through envisAGE to grow and scale innovations and ensure they meet the needs of older adults.

“Innovations in AgeTech are helping seniors age with dignity. By investing in these new technologies and developments, we’re helping Canadian seniors age on their terms and supporting the continued growth of Canadian businesses and start-ups”, said the Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Labour and Seniors.

“Our government wants to ensure the best possible health and wellness outcomes for Canada’s seniors, and leveraging innovation is key to achieving this goal. These first projects from envisAGE, demonstrate the power of collaboration to quickly grow small businesses at the cutting-edge of AgeTech, into the industry leaders of tomorrow. This investment will help to ensure Canada remains a world leader in this sector, and that Canadian seniors continue to benefit from innovations”, added the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada.

The total ecosystem investment in these 16 projects amounts to almost $20M, including contributions from collaborative partners and $5M through the envisAGE initiative which is supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund.

“We are delighted to support these projects that enable SMEs to deliver solutions directly to older adults, caregivers, and health care and service providers, while mobilizing industrial, academic, clinical and community sectors across Canada. This shows that together, we can make a real difference in our quality of life as we age and that technology should be among the solutions,” said Sabrina Boutin, Executive Director of envisAGE and Vice President of MEDTEQ+.

“The truly collaborative nature of these projects is critical to driving success, achieving impact, accelerating access to innovation, and building Canada’s leadership in the AgeTech sector,” she added.

The following collaborative projects were announced during the envisAGE 2^nd Annual Forum, held today in Edmonton:

• Remote monitoring platform for seniors living in private residence care units 
  In partnership with Habitations Bordeleau, Living Lab Lanaudière and CIUSSS-Centre Sud de l’Île-de-Montréal-CRIUGM., this project implements Virtuose Technologies Inc.’s remote monitoring platform to evaluate its impact on fall rates and hospital readmissions among older adults.
• Advancing age-friendly communities with an AI-driven platform and monitoring systems
  Gotcare, Quinte Health, and Bruyère Continuing Care are collaborating to tackle healthcare challenges in rural Canada. They are leveraging Gotcare’s AI-driven platform and advanced monitoring systems that provide real-time health alerts and enable proactive care planning. This approach aims to improve in-home healthcare delivery and enhance quality of life in rural environments.
• Enhanced older adult care through advanced passive sensor solutions
  Tochtech Technologies Ltd. is collaborating with Les Habitations Bordeleau and Bruyère Continuing Care to evaluate sensor technology for supporting frail older adults remotely, allowing them to age in place by enhancing safety and health measures in care units and assisted living settings.
• Advancing Dementia Care: evaluating digital cognitive assessment tools in community settings
  The Alzheimer Society of Ontario, MoCA Cognition, and the Ontario Brain Institute are collaborating to improve cognitive testing for older adults by validating XpressO, a digital, self-administered cognitive screening tool, against traditional assessments and assessing its feasibility and benefits for wider community use in Ontario.
• Fall prevention and well-being for older adults at Villa Ste-Rose
  Using Baüne Ecosystem Inc. technology, this fall prevention initiative will be implemented at Villa Ste-Rose in collaboration with expert evaluators to address the multifaceted challenges posed by falls among older adults.
• Digital shift in social geriatrics processes in six regions of Quebec 
  This Quebec-based social geriatrics project, Prehos, in partnership with Fondation AGES and NIM Intelliance Innovation Centre/CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, aim to enhance the health network’s ability to support aging at home with the support of intersectoral teams that focus on early detection, proactive health promotion, and improved information exchange between home and health services.
• Testing and implementation of robotic patient transfer technology in hospitals
  In collaboration with expert evaluators and Bruyère Continuing Care, Able Innovations will integrate its ALTA Platform, a robotic patient transfer system, into daily use at The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre representing the Community Lab. The technology is designed to reduce caregiver strain, improve patient care and dignity by enabling single-operator transfers.
• Robot kitchen automation for senior living setting
  In collaboration with Excelsoins, Résidence Bellagio SEC and NIM Intelliance Innovation Centre/CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Chef Jasper will demonstrate the efficacy and benefits of their robotic kitchen system in a long-term care setting preparing meals for residents, with the goal of improving operational efficiency and dining satisfaction.
• Artificial intelligence surveillance for senior safety with enhanced privacy protection
  NeuraVue’s innovative Al-driven surveillance system specializes in detecting distress, falls, and unauthorized access without storing personal images or videos. The technology will be deployed and evaluated in collaboration with Les Habitations Bordeleau and expert evaluators.
• NurseGPT speech recognition technology in a long-term care setting
  Carecorp, The Brenda Strafford Foundation and Alberta Health Services are collaborating to evaluate the feasibility and impact of implementing NurseGPT, a speech recognition technology, in a long-term care setting to support nurses’ workload and increase interaction with residents.
• Parkinson’s disease remote management system (PRIMS)
  PragmaClin is validating its PRIMS technology at the Newfoundland and Labrador Balance and Dizziness Centre, comparing its accuracy in detecting Parkinson’s Disease states against physiotherapist assessments according to international standards, with data analysis supported by the Ontario Brain Institute’s Brain-CODE platform. The project aims to establish a ‘gold standard’ in clinical assessments and improve access for patients with mobility issues or in rural areas.
• Smart home sensors and a remote nursing service for older adults at home
  Lifeguard Health aims to fill a gap in the care of older adults with minimal to moderate needs that traditional home care services are challenged to meet. By partnering with TheKey home care agency and expert evaluators, Lifeguard Health will deploy smart home sensors and other technologies to provide low-acuity care and monitor health outcomes, and staff, client and family satisfaction.
• AI-enabled ultrasound patch for on-demand, automated ultrasound cardiac monitoring
  Sonus Microsystems is developing an AI-powered, wearable ultrasound cardiac patch that enables older adults to monitor their heart health independently, offering real-time diagnostics to reduce hospital visits and support aging in place and enhanced autonomy. Circle Innovation will assess impact on health care costs and older adult autonomy and independence.
• Tuktu Sahara – Guidance interface for personalized check-in calls
  Tuktu Care and Circle Innovation are collaborating on “Tuktu Sahara,” an AI-powered service championing personalized support and connectivity for older adults and special needs communities, fostering greater emotional well-being and independence while empowering local organizations to deliver exceptional care.
• Privacy-preserving activity sensor to enhance care of older adults
  The Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), in collaboration with The Mount Nurse Co., will explore AltumView’s privacy-preserving activity monitoring technology focusing on enhanced safety measures and incorporating feedback for adaptive design improvements.
• Care2Talk tablets in the acute care setting
  Enhancing access to social engagement among alternate levels of care (ALC) patients within acute care settings using Care2Talk Tablets is the aim of this project. The Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN) will conduct pre- and post-platform use to understand the technology’s impact on patients, families, staff and the health care system, to ensure that future technology solutions are inclusive and cater to the specific requirements of older adults in healthcare settings.

The projects were selected through an evaluation process that included external experts as well as relevancy reviews conducted by older adults and caregivers.

The envisAGE ecosystem includes five innovation hubs announced in late September that offer expertise in key areas so that new technologies can be tested and adopted in different settings across Canada.

Read more about all collaborative projects here.

2nd Call for Innovations

A 2nd Call for Innovations was also launched today. Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), organizations providing services, programs, or care, and community organizations are invited to present their AgeTech project by submitting their Letter of Intent before December 2, 2024.

To apply or consult the Applicant Guide for the 2^nd Call for Innovations.

QUOTES:

“MEDTEQ+ is proud to be driving innovation for quality aging through the pioneering envisAGE initiative. The impressive projects announced today stand out for their innovative approaches and readiness to be integrated at community sites. They represent the first of many to come. By investing in the aging ecosystem, envisAGE is poised to deliver solutions to Canadians, create new jobs, generate economic benefits, and bolster Canada’s leadership in AgeTech. Once again, MEDTEQ+ is demonstrating its leadership and leveraging its unique expertise to serve real needs.”

Annie-Kim Gilbert, President and CEO, MEDTEQ+

“As co-lead of envisAGE, AGE-WELL warmly congratulates the exceptional teams behind today’s newly announced projects which offer much-needed technologies. AgeTech is one of the greatest tools we have to concretely enhance the well-being, independence, and quality of life of older adults, and to support caregivers and health professionals. Through envisAGE, we will produce a diverse portfolio of innovative solutions for an aging population, while propelling Canadian companies into growing national and international AgeTech markets.”

Dr. Alex Mihailidis, Scientific Director and CEO, AGE-WELL

About envisAGE

MEDTEQ+, a leader in accelerating innovation and supporting entrepreneurs in the Canadian MedTech industry, and AGE-WELL, Canada’s leading research and innovation network in AgeTech, have joined forces as co-leads in envisAGE. This large-scale pan-Canadian five-year initiative brings stakeholders together to provide resources and support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to integrate technologies that address the challenges of aging and build Canadian leadership in the AgeTech market. The envisAGE initiative is funded through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, with additional contributions of 4.5 million from the Government of Quebec., industry, non-profits, and other partners. To learn more about envisAGE, visit: www.envis-age.ca

About MEDTEQ+ 

MEDTEQ+, a pan-Canadian consortium for industrial research and innovation in healthcare technologies, aims to accelerate the development of innovative technological solutions to improve people’s health and quality of life. MEDTEQ+ supports the validation of these technologies, their integration into the healthcare network, their commercialization, as well as their local and international outreach, by bringing together the complementary skills of industrial and institutional partners and healthcare providers. MEDTEQ+ offers support, subsidies, and investment services to innovative companies. Since December 2022, MEDTEQ+ has also been the lead partner in the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze the AgeTech ecosystem and help companies grow and scale in the AgeTech market. MEDTEQ+ relies, among other things, on financial support from the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the private sector, and complementary partners to foster research-industry relationships. www.medteq.ca

About AGE-WELL 

AGE-WELL is Canada’s Technology and Aging Network. As a pan-Canadian network with global reach, AGE-WELL has mobilized a vast community of researchers, older adults, caregivers, partner organizations, and future leaders to accelerate the delivery of technology-based solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of older Canadians and their caregivers. AGE-WELL serves as a catalyst for technological innovation that supports healthy aging while driving Canada’s growing AgeTech sector. AGE-WELL’s groundbreaking programs are funded by the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Networks of Centres of Excellence program. Since December 2022, AGE-WELL has been a co-lead in the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze Canada’s AgeTech ecosystem by helping companies deliver technology solutions that will change the lives of Canadians. envisAGE is funded through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund.
www.agewell-nce.ca

SOURCE AGE-WELL