2019 Impact Update — Spring Report by heartandstroke

Your generous gifts are making a difference. 2019 Impact Update — Spring Report

Preventing stroke helps prevent dementia

Shedding light on one of the most devastating consequences of stroke. Dr. Eric Smith’s research could lead to critical findings that could change how we diagnose, identify and prevent both clinical and covert strokes.

The Problem:

The Solution:

Stroke happens when blood flow to your brain is interrupted, and cells are damaged or die as a result. This damage can lead to dementia—at any age. While stroke and dementia have common risk factors, researchers are discovering that dementia is more closely related to stroke and changes in blood vessels than they previously thought. But while the connection between stroke and dementia is frightening, when we prevent one, we help prevent that other.

Dr. Eric Smith’s PURE-MIND study is the first in Canada to look at covert strokes — small strokes in the brain that cause very subtle symptoms. Common among people in Canada, they can be as likely to lead to dementia as large strokes. Dr. Smith and his team are also the first to look at covert strokes among people in their late-30s, 40s, and 50s, along with those in their 70s and 80s.

“Reducing stroke risk protects your brain. Healthy living is about dementia too. Everything you do to protect your body protects your brain.” — Stroke Neurologist Dr. Eric Smith, Calgary Stroke Program

Supported by Heart & Stroke donors like you, the study uses brain scans to look for evidence of a covert stroke. Through memory tests at three-year intervals, Dr. Smith’s research will help identify people in midlife who might be at risk for memory and thinking problems later in life. By figuring out who is at risk, Dr. Smith hopes we can do more to prevent issues later in life through lifestyle changes and medication.

Your continued generous support helps us to fund important research that improves the lives of those affected by stroke.

New report reveals hidden connections Close the research gap One person dies in Canada every 5 minutes from heart conditions, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment. For women, the risks are even higher.

Women are at greater risk than men: • 45% more women die from stroke • 23% more women die from heart failure The heart, brain and mind are inextricably connected. They work together and are dependent on each other; if something happens to one, the others are affected. Conducted by Heart & Stroke, this year’s groundbreaking new report focuses on the interconnections between our hearts, our brains and our minds. It reveals that the relationship is much stronger and more complex than previously thought, and the impact of these connections on our already overloaded health system—and on people’s lives—is profound.

• Women with heart failure have 6x increased risk of atrial fibrillation (afib); 25% higher than men • 12% more women died from heart conditions, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment Yet 2/3 of current clinical heart disease and stroke research focuses on men.

The report study maps the associations between heart disease, stroke, and the development of vascular cognitive impairment, a condition resulting from problems with blood vessels that supply the brain, with dementia as its worst form.

With your generous support, we’re on a mission to continue to close the gender gap and reduce the impact of heart, brain and mind conditions on women’s lives.

“It’s not just living with heart disease or stroke, it’s the increased risk in complications of having multiple conditions,”

Gaps in the healthcare system are another concern raised by the report. Because the system is designed to address one disease at a time, patients with cardiovascular illness at risk for related conditions typically face lengthy waits to see different specialists for diagnosis and treatment.

— Patrice Lindsay, report co-author, Heart & Stroke’s Director of System Change and Stroke

All roads can lead to dementia An analysis of 2.6 million hospitalizations in Canada for cardiovascular disease between 2007 and 2017 shows that heart conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment are so deeply connected that people who previously were thought to have one condition are likely to develop multiple conditions that could result in hospital readmission or death. The study found that 40% of patients originally admitted with a stroke, heart conditions such as heart failure, or vascular cognitive impairment came back for a second, third or fourth event—with many progressing into serious illnesses and medical emergencies.

The solution requires systems change

Such lags can lead to worsening illness, says Dr. Lindsay: “We need more integrated care where patients can have access to different specialists within the same clinic at the same time, and not have those long delays between specialists.” She also advises that we must also consider our aging population. “As people age, as the population gets older, we’re going to see more and more of these conditions... and our (health-care) system isn’t really built to handle that.” A key role for Heart & Stroke is to be a catalyst for change on your behalf. The report calls for system leaders to work to join us by taking action to improve integration and coordination of care to save more Canadians lives.

Explore the entire 2019 Heart & Stroke Report!

To learn more about the connections between heart conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairements, you can read the report online at: www.HeartAndStroke.ca/Report2019

The donation that saved a father’s life

“ Hearing that call, I often play it to myself, not just as a reminder, but as a blessing for what he did. He’s 8. He’s just a little angel.”

Thanks to a generous gift that Vicky and Mike Shalapata left in their Will, Max Pozzo learned the signs of stroke at a Jump Rope for Heart assembly. Just 5 days later, he helped save his dad’s life.

— Mike Pozzo

From the actual 9-1-1 emergency call: 9-1-1 operator: [ Mike] can you say the early bird catches... Max: “Give me the phone for a second!” Max: “ Now, dad, lift your arms up for as long as you can....Okay good! Can you smile like this? Okay, so he’s kind of having a stroke!” 9-1-1 operator: H ow does he know to do all that?” Max: “[I learned] at school!”

On a cold afternoon in February 2018, Max was at home playing video games. Suddenly, his dad Mike (a firefighter) collapsed in the kitchen. The 8-year-old ran to his father’s side and helped him to the couch. But later, his dad could only pick up a glass with one hand—his left arm was too weak. That’s when Max knew it was a serious emergency. “I remember all those things from a few days before at Jump Rope for Heart,” he explains. “That why I decided it was a stroke.”

Learn the signs of stroke

Thanks to the Shalapata’s gift in their Will to help teach kids the signs of stroke, Max knew what to do. Watch Max’s video online at www.HeartAndStroke.ca/Max To learn more about leaving a legacy gift in your Will, visit www.HeartAndStroke.ca/Legacy for more information.

Data gets more personal Our new online interactive Data Hub lets you customize the information your way. Want to see the number of stroke in your province? Or perhaps drill down to your age group? Visit Data Hub to learn about these diseases in a way that is most relevant to you.

Start here: www.HeartAndStroke.ca/Datahub

Canada’s New Food Guide With its emphasis on whole foods, cooking at home and enjoying meals together, Heart & Stroke is proud of its collaboration with Health Canada on the direction and content of the newly revised Canada’s Food Guide. The photo to the right is the Food Guide Snapshot, in which the old “rainbow” model has been replaced by a simpler plate model. Thanks to your gifts, Heart & Stroke will also work with Health Canada to pass legislation to implement front-ofpackage nutrition labelling—making it easier to compare and make better nutrition choices. Learn how this new guide will help you make better food choices, especially if you are at risk from or are living with heart disease or stroke at www.HeartAndStroke.ca/ FoodGuide

©HealthCanada

Our CEO Yves Savoie is thrilled to accompany Minister of Health Ginette Petipas Taylor as she unveils the new Canada’s Food Guide.

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For your complimentary copy of “A Guide To Preparing Your Will,” call Mary Goodfellow at 1-800-205-4438 or visit www.HeartAndStroke.ca/Legacy

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