Dear BC Brain Wellness Program Community,

As another year comes to a close, and on behalf of the entire BC Brain Wellness Program team, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their enthusiastic engagement and loyalty to The Program.

Globally, there is an epidemic of loneliness. It has become a feature of modern life and there are warnings of the mental and physical dangers of loneliness. The physical consequences of poor connection can be devastating, including a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.

The mission of the Participant Advisory Committee (PAC) is “to provide a participant perspective towards a comprehensive and integrated approach to brain wellness by guiding future BC Brain Wellness Program (BWP) program delivery, research and education”.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be an unfamiliar topic unless you know someone affected or are beginning to notice symptoms in yourself or those around you. It is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behaviour, and these symptoms can eventually interfere with daily tasks. In Canada, there are approximately 747,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s or another type of Dementia, and this number is expected to grow to a whopping 2 million by 2050.

In this day and age, nearly all of us are guilty of using our technological devices to an almost pathological degree. Technology like phones and laptops can be extremely useful in our everyday lives helping us to be more efficient and stay connected to people and the world around us. However we often hear that there are negative consequences to increased screen time but what are they?

Please read for an important announcement regarding changes to the Brain Wellness Program team.

Since its inception in 2019, the BC Brain Wellness Program (The Program) has provided a source of hope and well-being for many. As we mark our 4th anniversary, we are thrilled to share the progress we have made in this annual report.

October 7th is Ageism Awareness Day, reminding us to reflect on how we treat ourselves and others based on our age, and allowing this understanding to guide our actions with grace, patience, and fairness.

As people living in the 21st century, it’s not uncommon for feelings of stress to be present in our everyday lives, but these feelings can go beyond day-to-day stressors and create long-lasting changes in brain function and wellness.

The Participant Advisory Committee (PAC) is a select group of Brain Wellness Program (BWP) participants who are helping improve the program through their input. The PAC was created to provide a participant perspective towards a comprehensive and integrated approach to brain wellness. The PAC meets once a month on Zoom to discuss a variety of BWP initiatives and programs, with feedback being sent directly back to the BWP team.

The Intergenerational Storytelling Project is back! It is an amazing way to connect with someone from a different generation and share your unique life experiences with them! By the end of the project, you will create and receive an abridged storybook encapsulating your most meaningful memories.

What actually is hope and is there anything we can do to become more hopeful? This is one of many questions Dr. Charles Snyder addresses in his paper, “Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind”. By looking into his discussion of these questions, we are able to better utilize hope and find the hopefulness we are missing.

The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) marks July 22nd of every year World Brain Day (WBD). This year, on the 10th anniversary of WBD, the WFN hopes to inspire global initiatives to expand disability awareness and improve health care access for those with disabilities, with the theme being “Brain Health and Disability: Leave No One Behind”.

Feeling like you need a good book to enjoy this summer? Check out the list of favorites from the staff at the BC Brain Wellness Program.

When we think about improv, our minds often gravitate towards improv comedy - the realm of humour, laughter, and fun. While these associations are all correct, it's important to recognise that improv encompasses more than just jokes. It fosters a mindset that can contribute to a happier and healthier life.

As we head into June, not only do we welcome the official start of Summer, but we celebrate National Seniors’ Week! This year, National Seniors’ Week is celebrated from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9 and what better way to celebrate than to connect with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health.

May 21, 2023 is World Meditation Day. Meditation is a form of mental training with the objective of improving one’s core psychological states, such as emotion regulation and attention. By paying extra attention to all of the aspects of the moment we are in now, and learning to accept them as they are, we can change our psychological states.

As a caregiver, how can you find time to give back to yourself? One way to start is by practicing self-compassion. Leading clinical psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff defines self-compassion as composed of three elements.

April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week – this week (and all other weeks!), we celebrate the wonderful volunteers of the BC Brain Wellness Program and beyond.

April is Stress Awareness Month, so this week, we will be taking time to acknowledge the role stress plays in our lives and how to respond to it in a healthy way!