KLARU Media Coverage 1999-2005

2005:

Mid-Town Crier, Canadian Jewish News, The Medical Post
January 1 & 20, 2005 and February 8, 2005
Toronto, ON
"Premier helps launch brain clinics at Baycrest"
Premier Dalton McGuinty officially opens Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care’s Brain Health Centre Clinics, including the mood and related disorders clinic, the memory clinic, and the stroke and cognition clinic.

National Post
January 29, 2005
"Alzheimer’s Drug Linked to Deaths"
KLARU scientist Dr. Paula Rochon comments on the need to weigh the benefits versus the risks associated with certain drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in light of recent findings that show that the use of certain drugs may be fatal.

Toronto Star (front page), American Journal of Medicine, CBC News In depth, Metro, Cape Breton Post, The Standard, The London Free Press, The Calgary Sun, The Guelph Mercury, The Daily News, The Prince George Citizen, Standard-Freeholder, The Sentinel-Review, Medicine Hat News, NB Telegraph-Journal, The Telegram, The Sault Star, Times-Colonist, The Daily Observer, The Daily Gleaner, Times & Transcript
January & February 2005
"Drug reactions harm, even kill elderly: study"
Baycrest geriatrician and KLARU senior scientist Dr. Paula Rochon is interviewed about a study on mostly preventable drug reactions that are harmful and in some cases fatal to elderly residents of nursing homes.

Hospital News, Canadian Healthcare Technology
February, July & November 2005
"Baycrest is ‘first’ long-term care facility in Canada to adopt computerized physician order entry"
Baycrest completes the implementation of a state-of-the-art computerized physician order entry system with clinical decision support this fall. Dr. Paula Rochon, a geriatrician and researcher at KLARU discusses the clinical importance of the system to prevent adverse drug events that occur all too often in the nursing home setting.

Toronto Star
April 16, 2005
"Another drug, another red flag"
Lead author and KLARU scientist, Dr. Paula Rochon is interviewed regarding the use of atypical anti-psychotics as treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and the potential risks to the elderly.

Canadian Living
July 2005
"Feed Your Brain"
KLARU senior scientist and professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, Dr. Carol Greenwood comments on oysters as an important source of zinc, high levels of which are found in certain brain cells and seem to be important for peak performance especially in memory.

The Globe and Mail, Reuters Health
September 13, 2005, September 30, 2005
"New anti-psychotic drugs worrying, study shows"
KLARU scientist Dr. Paula Rochon is interviewed about a study she led that investigates the potential association between exposure and development of Parkinsonism with the use of atypical anti-psychotics.

2004:

Toronto Star
September 21, 2004
"For Alzheimer's day, grim stats, fresh hope"
Baycrest clinician-scientists Drs. Tiffany Chow and Paul Verhoeff are interviewed about what the future holds for more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

CFTO-TV
July 9, 2004
"Newer class of anti-psychotics need more study"
Dr. Paula Rochon, Baycrest geriatrician and senior scientist, is interviewed about her study in the British Medical Journal showing there is strikingly limited evidence that the newer class of anti-psychotic drugs -- which are being increasingly prescribed to manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in the elderly -- provide more benefits than risks.

Canadian Press
June 2004
"Prescribing Errors"
Baycrest geriatrician and senior scientist Dr. Paula Rochon is interviewed about a study she co-authored which found that nursing home residents in Ontario are less likely to be prescribed "potentially inappropriate" drugs compared to seniors living in the community.

Canadian Press, CBC Radio "Here and Now"
May 2004
"Many seniors sedated shortly after entering nursing homes"
Study co-authored by Baycrest geriatrician and senior scientist Dr. Paula Rochon finds one-quarter of seniors are prescribed sedating drugs within a year of admission to Ontario nursing homes.

The Globe & Mail
May 25, 2004
"Researchers neglect deadliest diseases"
Study led by Baycrest's Dr. Paula Rochon finds a troubling disconnect between what researchers are studying (what gets published in leading medical journals) and the leading causes of death and illness around the world.

2003:

Discovery Health
October 12, 2003
"Medical Hot Seat"
Baycrest psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Robert van Reekum joins a panel discussion on the controversial use of "chemical restraints" in nursing homes.

The National Post (Front Page)
March 10, 2003
"Age of restraint"
A British study published in the journal Age and Ageing prompts The National Post to take a closer look at the controversial use of anti-psychotics to control elderly patients in nursing homes. Baycrest psychiatrist Dr. Robert van Reekum, and geriatrician Dr. Paula Rochon, are interviewed on this issue. Both are scientists at Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit. Dr. Rochon is studying the prevalent use of anti-psychotics with a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. van Reekum has published a study on the effect of taking patients with dementia off this medication.

2002:

The Toronto Star (Front Page ‘Life’ Section)
September 13, 2002
"Seniors and children seldom have been included in trials for drugs they take"
The Star looks at the issue of seniors and medications; in particular how seniors are seldom included in clinical trials of drugs that they commonly take. Baycrest geriatrician and researcher Dr. Paula Rochon, who has studied this troubling trend, is interviewed extensively for the story.

CityPulse, TalkTV
March 25, 2002
"Aging and Memory Changes"
Baycrest psychiatrist Robert van Reekum, and psychology fellow Corey Mackenzie of Baycrest's Memory and Aging Workshop for Older Adults, answer viewers' calls in an hour-long segment on memory changes as we age.

2001:

The National Post (Front Page)
February 20, 2001
"Fatheads indeed: Study says junky diet clogs brain"
A Baycrest-University of Toronto animal study which showed that high-fat diets impair learning and memory, and that sugar boosts cognitive function, attracted international attention. The study made the front page of The National Post and was mentioned on Global TV and Discovery channel. The BBC, Reuters, CFRB and CBC Radio did interviews with scientists Drs. Gordon Winocur and Carol Greenwood.

Canadian Press, CBC Newsworld, CityPulse
March 2001
"Cardiac guidelines may favor wealthy"
Dr. David Streiner, Director of Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit, was interviewed by media about a study he co-authored that raises ethical questions about the way some treatment decisions are made for heart patients. Psychosocial guidelines, unlike medical guidelines, tend to be vague which could open the door for some doctors to discriminate against low-income or socially marginalized patients.

"More to Life", TVOntario
June 18, 2001
"Alzheimer's Disease"
Baycrest psychiatrist Dr. Robert Van Reekum discusses the latest diagnoses and treatments for Alzheimer's disease, and answers questions from callers.

2000:

The Toronto Star, CBC The National, CBC Newsworld
July 12, 2000
"Results called promising for Alzheimer’s vaccine"
Dr. Robert van Reekum is quoted regarding his views on a vaccine known as AN-1792, which is showing great potential in stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as possibly preventing the occurrence of the disease. Dr. van Reekum cautioned that the vaccine is still in its preliminary stages of testing and that more emphasis should be placed on prevention rather than treatment since Alzheimer’s is a disease that starts years before any symptoms begin to show in the patients.

The Globe and Mail, Canadian Press
July 28, 2000
"Psychiatric troubles linked to brain injury"
Baycrest psychiatrist Dr. Robert van Reekum states that traumatic brain injury may cause a number of psychiatric disorders, including major depression and anxiety disorder. His study is published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry.

CBC Newsworld "Health Matters"
October 4, 2000
"Gender bias in drug trials"
Baycrest geriatrician and researcher Dr. Paula Rochon talks with CBC Newsworld about the troubling trend of older women being under-represented in clinical drug trials. Dr. Rochon attracted national headlines for a study she led in August 1998 which uncovered this gender bias.

Canadian Press, Global TV First National
August 18, 2000
"Low doses of beta blockers may be better protection against heart attack"
Baycrest geriatrician and researcher Dr. Paula Rochon publishes a study showing that low doses of beta blockers may be more effective in preventing further heart failure in patients who have already suffered a heart attack than high doses of the drugs. Her study appears in The Lancet.

The Globe & Mail
November 28, 2000
"Breakfast provides food for thought"
Study by KLARU scientist Dr. Carol Greenwood featured for its findings on the link between eating breakfast and cognitive function. Results show that eating a healthy breakfast seems to improve cognitive function, specifically memory, in elderly individuals.

1999:

Hospital News
January 1999
"Making Rounds"
The appointment of Dr. David L. Streiner as the first Director of the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit and Assistant Vice-President of Research at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care is announced.

Geriatrics & Aging
May/June 1999
"Treatment of heart disease in the elderly: Prescribing practices show under-use of medications"
KLARU scientist Dr. Paula Rochon comments on a more optimal method of prescribing cardiac medications to geriatric patients. Specifically, Dr. Rochon recommended a secondary prevention therapy at a lower dose for post-MI patients.

Globe & Mail
August 1999
"Will new anti-dementia drugs bring your aunt back?"
Baycrest geriatrician and researcher Dr. Paula Rochon was interviewed by the Globe & Mail for a story on the effectiveness of anti-dementia drugs.

The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail (Front Page), Geriatrics & Aging, The London Free Press, Reuters Newswire, CTV The National, CBC Radio, CJAD Montreal
August - October 1999
"Study calls for lower dose pills for seniors"
A Baycrest study is calling for drug manufacturers to make lower doses of commonly prescribed drugs for seniors. Dr. Paula Rochon was interviewed by major media about her study which tracked low-dose prescribing of a hypertension drug over a one-year period in Ontario. She found a troubling "mismatch" between prescribing practice and the tablet dosages available in the marketplace. Many frail seniors are forced to split their pills at home which can cause frustration, non-compliance, or dosage error.

Canadian Press, CTV National, Global TV, CBC Newsworld, National Post, Toronto Star
November 1999
"Older Canadians get too few heart drugs"
Baycrest geriatrician and researcher Dr. Paula Rochon is interviewed about her published study which finds that many older seniors in Ontario are not getting the life-saving drug beta-blocker after they have had a heart attack.