Photo © Courtesy of Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation
Good health is key to a good life. That’s why, forty years ago, a group of caring community leaders came together and created a foundation to support research that would improve medical research everywhere. The Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) has since raised tens of millions of dollars for research, advancing health and wellness worldwide.
Despite decades of dedicated research, doctors can only be up to 90 per cent certain that a living patient has Alzheimer’s disease. Current diagnostics cannot distinguish between Alzheimer’s and many other forms of dementia, making it almost impossible for scientists and clinicians to develop curative approaches to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Sultan Darvesh is pioneering the world’s first technology for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages.
A medicinal chemist, cognitive neurologist, and professor at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Darvesh is a global leader in developing a definitive test for Alzheimer’s disease during life. Donations to DMRF ensure that this exceptional work continues to be funded, so we can find better outcomes for Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, Karen Brown’s husband Wally moved into an assisted living facility one year ago, when his needs became so demanding that he required 24-hour care. While the loss of Wally living at home was devastating for Karen, she took comfort in visiting with him at his new home, talking to him, singing for him, helping with his personal care, and showing him love in any way she could.
This all changed in March of 2020, however, with the onset of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. Not being able to have physical contact with Wally throughout the pandemic has been incredibly difficult for Karen, as her husband’s Alzheimer’s continues to progress. Visiting at his window outside his care facility in the early days of COVID-19, Karen’s heart would break when Wally would try to reach out to her through the glass. Today, she relies mainly on video technology to visit with her husband.
While Wally is nearing the end of his journey, Alzheimer’s research at Dalhousie University gives Karen hope for others in the future.
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DMRF is supported by the generosity of individuals and corporate donors from the Maritime Provinces and across Canada who believe in the importance of health research.
