OAKVILLE, Ontario, Jan. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BestLifeRewarded Innovations (BLRI) is proud to announce a new collaboration with Baycrest Health Sciences to increase preventative and self-care behaviours for the caregiver population. This offering to be made available as part of Baycrest@Home has been awarded a 2019 Spark grant from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation. BestLifeRewarded is thrilled to offer its science-based solutions for change.

Baycrest@Home is the first program of its type to prioritize the needs of family caregivers looking after older adults with dementia, bringing support tools and programming backed by science to caregivers in the community. Launching in the New Year, this Spark funded initiative will support caregivers with a plug and play behavioural incentive tool, BestLifeRewarded. The BestLifeRewarded platform can be utilized 24/7 with access to health assessments and trackers, and a robust reporting dashboard to closely and accurately support this research initiative.

Fueled by a proven evidence-based framework through BestLifeRewarded, this venture serves as a special niche for both teams. The BLRI & Baycrest collaboration will build on this research offering to tackle the ongoing challenge of prioritizing personal self-care measures. In addition, both teams will have access to valuable metrics that capture health behaviours among caregivers of varying demographics.

“The Baycrest team has a lot of experience and a strong track record with developing evidence-based, innovative interventions with older adults and caregivers,” says Dr. Adriana Shnall, of Baycrest Health sciences. “Through this project, and through partnering with BestLifeRewarded, we hope that we can continue to support caregivers so that they can continue to look after their loved one in the community.”

In bringing the convenience of self-care to an identified high-risk population, BestLifeRewarded sets out to support Baycrest in the ongoing proactive health-promotion initiatives required to make a change in the community.

“BestLifeRewarded is a proven solution that connects & appreciates participants’ intrinsic motivators to inspire health behaviour change,” says Cynthia Hastings-James, co-founder of BestLifeRewarded Innovations. “We now look forward to applying our best practices exclusively to the caregiver population. Caregivers are often neglected in the healthcare system. It’s time we bring this issue forward to create sustainable behaviour change among the caregiver community.”

About BestLifeRewarded Innovations
BestLifeRewarded is a health behaviour change system. BLRI gives employers or organizational leaders the opportunity to take a proactive role in managing the wellness of their employees by providing resources and programs centered on overall well-being. BestLifeRewarded supports over 12,000 Canadian companies and nearly 4 million Canadians and growing. With over 10 years experience in proven behavioural breakthroughs, BLRI has been recognized globally for its evidence-informed innovation in health behaviour change.

About Baycrest@Home
Baycrest@Home prepares and supports family caregivers of older adults experiencing declining cognitive health. We use technology to connect you with specialized expertise and services that help you keep your family member safe, engaged and healthy. We are a service of Baycrest Health Sciences, a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. As an academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides an exemplary care experience for aging clients combined with an extensive clinical training program for students and one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience.

For more information on Baycrest@Home, please visit https://baycrestathome.ca

For more information on BestLifeRewarded Innovations, please visit www.bestliferewarded.com

SOURCE BestLifeRewarded Innovations Inc.

Media contacts:

Cynthia Hastings-James
BestLifeRewarded Innovations
2525 Old Bronte Rd, Suite 300
Oakville, ON, L6M 4J2
T: 905-336-1000
E: cynthia@bestliferewarded.com

Simon Cheesman
Baycrest Health Sciences
Director, Baycrest@Home
T: 416-785-2500, ext. 6181
E: SCheesman@baycrest.org