Of the 500,000 patients in Canada living with Alzheimer's, more than 70 per cent are women.
And victims are at greater risk of contracting the mentally debilitating and ultimately deadly disease if their mother had it than if their father was diagnosed.Fashion entrepreneur and philanthropist Lynn Posluns wants to know why Alzheimer's and other brain illnesses hit women harder or differently than they do men.Posluns is the founder and chairperson of Women of Baycrest, launched just over a year ago to support and fund research into women's brain health as they age. The research, including the effects of hormones, stress and fitness on women's brains during the aging process, will be the first of its kind in the world, she said."The same way they recognized 20 years ago that women's heart attacks were different than men's heart attacks," Posluns said.The campaign has set a $3-million goal, which will be used to hire a research chairperson to lead a small research team at North York's Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System.It's an ambitious goal, one Posluns figured would take at least five years to achieve, especially given that the campaign was launched in the depths of the recession.But a series of fundraisers, including the latest held the night of Tuesday March 2, has blown that target out of the water.Posluns had hoped to raise $250,000 in the campaign's first year. She has actually raised $1 million."This is resonating with women, all women, women of all ages," she said."I thought this (raising $3 million) would take five to six years. Hopefully, we'll get there in the next 18 months."Tuesday night's fundraiser featured an evening of entertainment and comedy at the Kool Haus nightclub spotlighting actress and comedian Carla Collins, with singer Aleesia providing a musical performance."She (Collins) was great. She was interactive with the audience. It was just a great, fun night," Posluns said."It was great she volunteered her time to do this. None of talent costs the organization anything. Everybody wants to put the money into the charity."Thursday's fundraiser was one of several the Women of Baycrest has hosted. Other events have focused on themes such as fashion and cooking. An Oprah-style event allowed the audience to ask questions of brain health specialists.Posluns doesn't have a personal reason for starting the campaign, other than the fact she and other women want to age healthfully."Fortunately, nobody in my immediate family has had dementia but I'm concerned about my own brain health. When I can't find my car in the parking lot, (I ask myself) am I stressed, is it something else? I do get freaked out a little," she admitted with a laugh."We asked women 'Is this (campaign and research) something you can get behind?' A lot of women are saying 'This is really something important to me'."For more information, visit www.womenofbaycrest.com