Manulife Canada is investing $1 million over four years to support a precision medicine dementia prevention clinic at Montreal’s Douglas Mental Health University Institute.
The funding will support the Douglas Cognitive Health and Prevention Clinic powered by Manulife, described as Quebec’s first precision medicine dementia prevention clinic. The clinic focuses on identifying individual risk earlier and tailoring care for adults aged 40 and older through personalized, evidence-based prevention plans that target factors most associated with cognitive decline.
The announcement comes as dementia prevalence continues to rise in Canada. In 2020, nearly 600,000 Canadians were living with dementia and that figure is projected to reach 1.7 million by 2050, according to national estimates. Without meaningful prevention strategies, stakeholders warn that Canada could face escalating health-care demands and significant pressure on families, communities, and the health system.
“Dementia has a profound impact on people’s lives, families, and communities—and with no cure today, the human toll is deeply felt across Canada,” said Naveed Irshad, president and CEO, Manulife Canada. “That’s why we’re investing in earlier, evidence-based prevention through the Douglas Cognitive Health and Prevention Clinic powered by Manulife, reflecting our commitment to longevity leadership and to helping Canadians live more years in better health.”
The clinic is designed to test targeted, personalized interventions informed by both clinical expertise and research. It aims to determine whether a streamlined, focused team can deliver measurable improvements in cognitive health at scale and validate a model that could be replicated by other care providers in Quebec and across Canada.
“There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but research shows that up to forty per cent of cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors,” said Simon Ducharme, clinical lead of the Douglas Cognitive Health and Prevention Clinic powered by Manulife. “Personalized, research informed interventions can change the trajectory of cognitive aging. Manulife Canada’s support strengthens our ability to deliver targeted prevention and helps us build a model that can expand access to life changing care for many more people.”
Evidence from large international studies has linked a substantial share of dementia cases to modifiable factors such as hypertension, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes, depression, hearing loss and social isolation. That has put prevention and risk-factor management firmly on the agenda for health systems and insurers concerned about the long-term cost of cognitive decline.
Manulife Canada’s investment supports a model that moves beyond traditional one-size-fits-all approaches to dementia prevention. Patients receive a comprehensive assessment that identifies lifestyle, metabolic, and genetic factors shaping their individual risk profile, which informs a tailored prevention plan.
Those plans can include cardiovascular risk management, physical activity coaching, nutritional counseling, cognitive stimulation and sleep quality improvements, alongside emerging, research-informed tools. Patients can access the clinic through a physician referral and, over time, are expected to be able to self-refer using an online risk assessment tool.
The approach mirrors wider trends in the health and insurance sectors, where carriers are increasingly looking to combine risk stratification, digital engagement and targeted interventions to reduce the incidence and severity of high-cost conditions.
The clinic operates within the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and works closely with the Centre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (StoP-AD), a nationally recognized leader in presymptomatic Alzheimer’s research.
This integration allows clinicians, neurologists, psychiatrists, geneticists and biomarker specialists to collaborate on prevention strategies that connect scientific discovery with patient care.
“As the first clinic of its kind in Quebec, this initiative represents an important step forward for dementia prevention in the province. Quebec plays an important role in Manulife’s Canadian business, and we’re proud to support innovative, personalized care that helps strengthen the health of our communities through earlier, evidence-based prevention,” said Alexis Gerbeau, head of Quebec, Manulife Canada.
Manulife said the initiative is aligned with the Manulife Longevity Institute, a global research, thought leadership, advocacy, innovation and community investment platform focused on helping people thrive at every age. The insurer and its John Hancock brand in the US have already been active in linking life and health products with wellness and prevention programs, including activity-based rewards and digital health partnerships.
By generating real-world data on cognitive risk reduction and validating scalable intervention models, the Douglas clinic contributes to that broader longevity agenda. Recent economic modeling suggests that the total annual cost of dementia care in Canada – including direct medical care, long-term care and informal caregiving – could nearly triple by 2050, underscoring the financial stakes for public payers and private insurers alike.
Manulife’s move signals how large carriers are beginning to back targeted prevention in high-cost disease areas not only as a community investment, but as part of a longer-term strategy to extend healthy life expectancy, support product sustainability and potentially moderate future claims across life, health, and retirement portfolios.
