-
USECOMPAs appTo help adults communicate
with their caregivers, and family. -
Dr. Ana Inés Ansaldo and her team are workingon the implementation of COMPAs in long-termcare facilities in Montreal in response to Covid-19.
Dr. Ana Ines Ansaldo and her team welcome you to the Neuroplasticity, communication and ageing lab.
Our labo is devoted to research and reflection on the aging brain and its language processing capacities.
Launch of the new version of COMPAs in the context of COVID-19.
COMPAs is an evidence-based tool that has been tested across a variety of clinical settings , and by persons living with dementia at home , with their caregivers .
COMPAs is an App developed to promote communication between professional and family caregivers and people living communication barriers, as a consequence of stroke, or neurodegenerative disease , in the context of aphasia or dementia. COMPAs has shown its assets during the CONVID pandemic, prompting person- centered communication, while emphasizing the emotional dimension of exchanges, and supporting communication even in the context of extreme isolation. By pairting COMPAs with zoom, it is possible to have COMPAs session distantly , helping families to stay connected despite physical isolation imposed by the pandemic.
COMPAs brings together images, music and videos of significant moments., which set the table for personalized and emotionally significant communication. Thanks to COMPAs seniors living with communication challenges resulting from dementia, cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) or other health issues can maintain communication with their caregivers and family. COMPAs (“Communication porches aidants, or the COMPAs that guides you in the storm of disrupted communication ) was developed by Ana Inés Ansaldo and her team of researchers, students, clinicians, in collaboration with the industry. You can read this article for more details on studies with COMPAs.
Do you take care of someone living with the consequences of a neurodegenerative disease and have difficulty to communicate with him?
COMPAs allows creating personalized music, photos and videoclips libraries of custom material that arouses positive emotions, and enhance empathy , both promoting and facilitating communication.
Laboratory Brain Plasticity Communication Ageing
Research undertaken in the Lab aims to develop additional knowledge regarding language difficulties following a stroke or in the context of dementia.
The impact of bilingualism on cognitive aging and its effects on cerebral functioning is also studied.
Cerebral Plasticity in Ageing
MIND'S CAPACITY
Cerebral plasticity is the mind’s capacity to modify its connections to optimize performance. Plasticity is a lifelong phenomenon that continues throughout aging. Functional neuroimaging allows the observation of the mechanisms underlying cerebral plasticity during events such as learning a second language or recovery after a brain lesion resulting in language deficits.
MECHANISMS OF CEREBRAL PLASTICITY
A better understanding of the mechanisms of cerebral plasticity in aging will favor proper aging, both in healthy aging populations and in populations suffering from cerebral lesions. The Laboratoire de plasticité cérébrale, communication et vieillissement [Brain Plasticity, Communication and Aging Laboratory] aims to describe the phenomenon of cerebral plasticity associated to language in the aging individual. Research is rooted in cognitive neuroscience and speech-language pathology, all while integrating functional neuroimaging technologies.
REACTION TO STIMULI
Research conducted in the Laboratoire de plasticité cérébrale, communication et vieillissement [Brain Plasticity, Communication and Ageing Laboratory] shows that the aging brain reacts to specific and intense stimuli. It is, therefore, possible to stimulate cerebral plasticity in the aging individual so as to improve cognitive functioning and optimize the quality of life.
