New research centre a first in Canada

Rebuilding lives is the focus of the Aging, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care Research Centre at Parkwood Hospital.

London, Ontario - John Bannon remembers waiting to float to the surface. He knew he was in trouble. He was numb from the chest down. A playful nudge into the pool had, in an instant, left him a quadriplegic.

In the aftermath, John, 36 and a father of two, struggled with the devastating turn his life had taken. He was told he would never walk again. But on May 27 of this year, John, now 50, walked his daughter down the isle. On the dance floor, he took the new bride in his arms and danced.

John is a beneficiary of research that aims to rebuild and rejuvenate lives. This is the focus of Aging, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care Research Centre, part of Lawson Health Research Institute located at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Hospital. The first centre of its kind in Canada, the new $2.8 million facility features more than 15,000 square feet of dedicated research space focusing on the areas of spinal cord injury, geriatric care, complex continuing care, stroke rehabilitation, veterans care, as well as neuromuscular and wound treatment.

Opened on September 20, 2006 the centre fosters innovation, collaboration and integration of a wide range of disciplines. Fifty-six scientists and research personnel who were once scattered throughout London’s healthcare facilities have now converged in one, purpose-built facility, bringing with them their collective brainpower and resources.

The centre’s location at Parkwood, one of Canada’s premiere rehabilitation and geriatric care hospitals, means unparalleled access to patient research. The goal of researchers will be to directly transfer knowledge into practice.

“This is the first centre in Canada that is embedded within a hospital and devoted to aging,” says Dr. Robert Petrella, Program Leader of the Aging, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care program at Lawson. “It truly is a model of clinical research integration within the Canadian health care system.”

The centre is funded entirely by donor dollars through the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation. Major donors include Cold Springs Farm Ltd., RBC Foundation and 3M Canada.

The opening of the centre comes at a critical time. According to Health Canada, the senior population has grown more than twice as fast as the overall population since the early 1980s. By 2021, Statistics Canada predicts there will be almost 7 million seniors in Canada, who will make up 18 per cent of the population. At the same time, progress in acute care medicine means more and more people are surviving traumatic injury, sometimes facing a lifetime disability as a result. Advancements in care for the aging population and in rehabilitation are more pressing than ever before.


For more information, contact:
Dahlia Reich, Communications and Public Affairs
Parkwood Hospital, (519) 685-4292 ext. 44034
dahlia.reich@sjhc.london.on.ca

Andrew Kaszowski, Communications Consultant
Lawson Health Research Institute, (519) 646-6100 ext. 65516, andrew.kaszowski@sjhc.london.on.ca