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New Alzheimer’s treatments bring leading care closer to home for patients
Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) is expanding access to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, bringing emerging care closer to home for patients across southeastern Ontario who traditionally needed to travel to larger centres such as Toronto or Ottawa.
These new disease-modifying treatments are designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in eligible patients, with the greatest benefit expected when treatment begins in the earlier stages of the disease.
Bram Fisher, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years ago, is one of the first patients in Canada to access these drugs. For him, the treatment means more time to remain independent and continue doing the things he enjoys — including playing music with the band, Old Gravel Road.
“I would say the progression has been fairly slow, and we’ve been pretty lucky,” says Bram. “I’m still able to do the things I enjoy — I play in the band; I go for walks and go for lunch with friends.”
Bram is now receiving one of the new Alzheimer’s drugs through KHSC’s cognitive neurology program under the care of memory disorders specialist Dr. Durjoy Lahiri who arrived at KHSC in June 2024.
“The idea is to slow down the disease, so patients remain independent for longer periods of time,” says Dr. Lahiri.
KHSC is among the first health sciences centres in Canada to begin offering access to these emerging treatments recently approved by Health Canada. Dr. Lahiri’s goal is to build a larger Alzheimer’s therapeutics program in Kingston that can serve patients from across the region.
“The goal is to build a modern treatment program right here in Kingston,” says Dr. Lahiri. “Kingston can function as the referral centre for the whole region outside of Toronto and Ottawa. We want to create a robust and scalable program.”
The program is expected to grow significantly as awareness of these treatments increases. Dr. Lahiri estimates that as many as 25 to 30 patients could be receiving infusions through KHSC within the next six-to-nine months, with the potential for that number to continue growing.
Early diagnosis will be critical to ensuring patients can benefit from these treatments. To support earlier diagnosis, KHSC has also developed a new blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early, with funding support from the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) and YGK Healthcare Champions.
“This is a very new development in the field. It’s cutting-edge clinical care,” says Dr. Lahiri. “The blood test will help quickly identify patients who may benefit from further assessment and consideration for disease-modifying treatment.”
For Bram’s partner, Bryn, the new treatment options are welcome as the couple navigates the realities of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
“Neither of us thought this is what we would be doing in our retirement years,” says Bryn. “It has been a bit of a challenge.”
For Bram, the ability to continue living his life as independently as possible is what matters most.
“It’s not a cure,” he says. “But I’m still able to do the things I enjoy, and I am happy about that.”
For patients like Bram these new treatments offer something deeply meaningful: more time to enjoy the moments that matter most, whether that’s making music, spending time with friends and loved ones, or maintaining independence for as long as possible.
The post New Alzheimer’s treatments bring leading care closer to home for patients appeared first on Hospital News.
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