The dynamics of spousal relationships in very late life: transitions, psychological health and longevity. This research will provide a rare insight into the dynamics of very-long term successful marriages. It will also provide an understanding of the dyad in ageing well. In a society where a large percentage of marriages end in divorce, this work has the potential to identify individual differences factors that are conducive to sustaining the marital relationship. In addition, an examination o ....The dynamics of spousal relationships in very late life: transitions, psychological health and longevity. This research will provide a rare insight into the dynamics of very-long term successful marriages. It will also provide an understanding of the dyad in ageing well. In a society where a large percentage of marriages end in divorce, this work has the potential to identify individual differences factors that are conducive to sustaining the marital relationship. In addition, an examination of how couples from different socio-economic backgrounds navigate later life in their own homes or during key late life transitions will also be beneficial for those individuals or policy makers planning for these transitions.Read moreRead less
Declining mental efficiency, cognitive performance and individual differences in aged function. Ageing men's health is poorer than women's and men show lower uptake of public health messages. The project has potential to extend the productive involvement of older men in the community, thereby reducing dependence and health care expenditure. Future benefits could also include an effective, convenient, preliminary screening procedure for tracking abnormal cognitive ageing from an early stage amo ....Declining mental efficiency, cognitive performance and individual differences in aged function. Ageing men's health is poorer than women's and men show lower uptake of public health messages. The project has potential to extend the productive involvement of older men in the community, thereby reducing dependence and health care expenditure. Future benefits could also include an effective, convenient, preliminary screening procedure for tracking abnormal cognitive ageing from an early stage among elderly people. This could be also used to target and evaluate interventions designed to moderate morbidity in ageing, or enhance functional capacity with aging. The project will enhance cross-disciplinary expertise and provide doctoral and postdoctoral research training.Read moreRead less
How Individual and Societal Resources Contribute to Ageing Well through the Fourth Age: The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing. People aged 85 and over represent the fastest growing sector of the Australian population. It is estimated that by 2051 Australia will be home to between 1.6 million and 2.7 million 85+ year olds. This project fills a pressing need for knowledge about determinants of quality of life, resilience and successful ageing in this rarely studied age group. Detailed inform ....How Individual and Societal Resources Contribute to Ageing Well through the Fourth Age: The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing. People aged 85 and over represent the fastest growing sector of the Australian population. It is estimated that by 2051 Australia will be home to between 1.6 million and 2.7 million 85+ year olds. This project fills a pressing need for knowledge about determinants of quality of life, resilience and successful ageing in this rarely studied age group. Detailed information drawn from over 300 participants, all aged 85 and over, will lead the way to providing Australian communities and policy-makers with the understanding needed to plan for and manage this important demographic transition, and develop services directed at optimising health, functioning and meaningful engagement.Read moreRead less
A prospective study of the transition to grandparenthood: psychosocial adjustment, well-being and productive ageing. Given the increasingly common childcare role that grandparents are required to play in Australian society, and the increasing demands of grandparenting, potential benefits arising from this study adhere to the requirements of the National Research Priority Area "Promoting and Maintaining Good Health." They include: identifying the characteristics of the group of grandparents for w ....A prospective study of the transition to grandparenthood: psychosocial adjustment, well-being and productive ageing. Given the increasingly common childcare role that grandparents are required to play in Australian society, and the increasing demands of grandparenting, potential benefits arising from this study adhere to the requirements of the National Research Priority Area "Promoting and Maintaining Good Health." They include: identifying the characteristics of the group of grandparents for whom the change of role and lifestyle produces negative effects; providing increased awareness in health professionals and the lay community about this subgroup, enabling appropriate early identification and intervention; supplying evidence-based data to inform strategies to reduce stress in the grandparents and improve the quality of childcare they provide.Read moreRead less
Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in infor ....Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in informing government policy. This project aims to provide national and community benefits through informing policy related to housing and labour force participation, and by informing programs aimed at volunteer recruitment, retention and maximising the quality of the volunteer experience.Read moreRead less
Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By ....Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By incorporating nanotechnology with ophthalmology we will provide an economic solution to long-term, reliable, home-monitoring of IOP. An implantable IOP sensor, will identify patients requiring more invasive treatment compared with those with less aggressive disease, leading to better health resource utilisation.Read moreRead less
Enzymatic synthesis, microencapsulation and biological evaluation of a new class of omega-3 derived functional food ingredients. Inflammatory mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are major causes of death in Australia. Rates of these diseases are rising over time, partly due to poor diet including low consumption levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish. This project aims to develop healthy food ingredients from natu ....Enzymatic synthesis, microencapsulation and biological evaluation of a new class of omega-3 derived functional food ingredients. Inflammatory mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are major causes of death in Australia. Rates of these diseases are rising over time, partly due to poor diet including low consumption levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish. This project aims to develop healthy food ingredients from naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acid derivatives that are more stable to oxidation and more biologically active than fish derived omega-3 fatty acids. The development of these omega-3 derivatives as functional food ingredients could provide an additional strategy for helping to prevent the rapid increase in inflammatory mediated diseases in the Australian population.Read moreRead less
A prospective study of the mental health of grandparents providing part-time child care for their preschool age grandchildren. This project addresses national research priorities and will identify the characteristics of a high-risk subgroup of Australian grandparents for whom the childcare burden has a deleterious impact on health and well being. Results will enable development of improved approaches to education and awareness in health professionals and the lay community about this subgroup, fa ....A prospective study of the mental health of grandparents providing part-time child care for their preschool age grandchildren. This project addresses national research priorities and will identify the characteristics of a high-risk subgroup of Australian grandparents for whom the childcare burden has a deleterious impact on health and well being. Results will enable development of improved approaches to education and awareness in health professionals and the lay community about this subgroup, facilitating early identification and intervention. The study will provide evidence-based guidance to policy makers about the most appropriate support services for grandparents involved in high levels of childcare, reducing their level of stress and improving the quality of the childcare they provide.
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Three-dimensional Simulation of Trabecular Bone Remodelling. Nearly 2 million Australians currently suffer from osteoporosis. Statistics indicate that 25% of Australian women and 17% of men will develop an osteoporotic fracture. The cost of osteoporosis is $7.4 billion per annum; the numbers of affected individuals and costs are expected to continue increasing. Clearly, improvements to osteoporosis diagnosis, fracture risk assessment, and effective treatments are still urgently needed. The p ....Three-dimensional Simulation of Trabecular Bone Remodelling. Nearly 2 million Australians currently suffer from osteoporosis. Statistics indicate that 25% of Australian women and 17% of men will develop an osteoporotic fracture. The cost of osteoporosis is $7.4 billion per annum; the numbers of affected individuals and costs are expected to continue increasing. Clearly, improvements to osteoporosis diagnosis, fracture risk assessment, and effective treatments are still urgently needed. The proposed project aims to create a tool for understanding the mechanisms of bone loss and predicting the effects of osteoporosis therapies. It represents a solid contribution to the knowledge base necessary for advancing osteoporosis research and ultimately reducing the incidence of osteoporotic fracture.Read moreRead less
Cognitive and behavioural benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation across the lifespan. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently estimated that 7-19% of children have learning and behaviour problems associated with child ADHD. Concurrently, rates of dementia are rapidly increasing worldwide, currently costing the Australian government $6.6 billion pa, and it has been predicted that rates of dementia could double every 20 years. If omega-3 PUFA research can show benefits in cognition an ....Cognitive and behavioural benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation across the lifespan. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently estimated that 7-19% of children have learning and behaviour problems associated with child ADHD. Concurrently, rates of dementia are rapidly increasing worldwide, currently costing the Australian government $6.6 billion pa, and it has been predicted that rates of dementia could double every 20 years. If omega-3 PUFA research can show benefits in cognition and behaviour across the lifespan, this has potential benefit for fish oil products and their ability to enhance mental health and cognitive outcomes, thereby helping to lower the substantial social and health care costs associated with poor academic performance, mental illness and growing rates of dementia.Read moreRead less