Taking advice: Limits and potentials of social decision-making in older age. Older adults are increasingly victims of financial fraud and abuse. While well-intentioned advice has the potential to improve financial decision-making, ill-intentioned advice can lead to exploitation. This project will use extensive behavioural testing to establish the factors governing how much weight older adults give to advice depending on the type of advisor, the type of advice, and feedback about advice quality. ....Taking advice: Limits and potentials of social decision-making in older age. Older adults are increasingly victims of financial fraud and abuse. While well-intentioned advice has the potential to improve financial decision-making, ill-intentioned advice can lead to exploitation. This project will use extensive behavioural testing to establish the factors governing how much weight older adults give to advice depending on the type of advisor, the type of advice, and feedback about advice quality. The outcome will be a model of the influence of advice on decision-making in ageing. This will provide an evidence base to create best practice guidelines, interventions, and decision aids that will reduce exploitation and increase the independence and wellbeing of Australia’s rapidly ageing population.Read moreRead less
Increasing advance personal planning by older adults. This project aims to increase the uptake of advance personal planning among people aged 65 years or over in the community by developing, implementing and evaluating a community action model. People have a legal right to engage in advance personal planning, a process that helps them discuss and document their financial, personal and health preferences, in case they later lose the ability to make or communicate decisions. Few people plan ahead, ....Increasing advance personal planning by older adults. This project aims to increase the uptake of advance personal planning among people aged 65 years or over in the community by developing, implementing and evaluating a community action model. People have a legal right to engage in advance personal planning, a process that helps them discuss and document their financial, personal and health preferences, in case they later lose the ability to make or communicate decisions. Few people plan ahead, even though it can reduce the likelihood of financial exploitation, family conflict and unwanted medical care. This project aims to provide a model of community action to build capacity and collaboration across social services and improve the wellbeing of older people.Read moreRead less
Improving aged care with memory conversations. This project aims to investigate conversational techniques known as "elaborative reminiscing" as a tool for aged care staff to practice relationship-based care in their day-to-day interactions with older clients. The project expects to generate new knowledge about which specific techniques increase reminiscing during routine care, and how these tools have ongoing benefits for aged care clients. Expected outcomes include an evidence-based training pr ....Improving aged care with memory conversations. This project aims to investigate conversational techniques known as "elaborative reminiscing" as a tool for aged care staff to practice relationship-based care in their day-to-day interactions with older clients. The project expects to generate new knowledge about which specific techniques increase reminiscing during routine care, and how these tools have ongoing benefits for aged care clients. Expected outcomes include an evidence-based training program and improved understanding of facilitators and barriers to meeting aged care clients' social needs. This should provide significant benefits by improving wellbeing of clients in aged care, reducing hospitalisations, and enabling aged care providers to meet new industry standards.Read moreRead less
Drivers of ageing and adaptive ageing in middle-aged and older adults. This project aims to answer crucial questions about how our early years influence our health and wellbeing in middle and later life. Drawing on one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development, we link decades of developmental data collected since 1983 to social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing in participants turning 40 (midlife) and 70 (later life). It will provide insight into impo ....Drivers of ageing and adaptive ageing in middle-aged and older adults. This project aims to answer crucial questions about how our early years influence our health and wellbeing in middle and later life. Drawing on one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development, we link decades of developmental data collected since 1983 to social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing in participants turning 40 (midlife) and 70 (later life). It will provide insight into important and largely unanswered questions about the way social factors in the first half of life shape our later selves. This study will inform government and health policy targeting ageing populations.
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Language typology and cognitive effects of language learning. This project aims to map, in older adults and preschool-age children, the extent and nature of cognitive benefit from training in a foreign language. Learning a language is recognised to be beneficial in various ways, but this project investigates whether it matters which language one learns. The project will compare the resulting cognitive changes to language learners across different languages to test whether the benefit is uniquely ....Language typology and cognitive effects of language learning. This project aims to map, in older adults and preschool-age children, the extent and nature of cognitive benefit from training in a foreign language. Learning a language is recognised to be beneficial in various ways, but this project investigates whether it matters which language one learns. The project will compare the resulting cognitive changes to language learners across different languages to test whether the benefit is uniquely effective. It will also gauge whether these changes occur when learning is easier in childhood compared to when it is harder later in life. The project findings will inform the development of linguistic, social, and educational programs to optimise cognitive function both for childhood development and healthy ageing, especially in Australia where second language acquisition is lower compared to other countries.Read moreRead less
Ageing drivers: Cognitive ageing and technology. This project aims to enhance our understanding of whether cognitive changes associated with ageing impacts older drivers' use of emerging vehicle automation and assistive technologies. Through analysis of insurance claims databases, a large consumer survey and a naturalistic driving study, evidence will be obtained on how ageing and cognition interact with assistive technology. Findings will inform older drivers, government policy makers and indus ....Ageing drivers: Cognitive ageing and technology. This project aims to enhance our understanding of whether cognitive changes associated with ageing impacts older drivers' use of emerging vehicle automation and assistive technologies. Through analysis of insurance claims databases, a large consumer survey and a naturalistic driving study, evidence will be obtained on how ageing and cognition interact with assistive technology. Findings will inform older drivers, government policy makers and industry on ageing, cognitive changes and the use of assistive technology in vehicles. This will provide benefits for older drivers by promoting optimal driving which will enhance social engagement as well as safety. Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. This Centre intends to generate crucial knowledge to inform social and economic responses to population ageing, one of the most important issues of the 21st century. Population ageing exerts unprecedented pressures on social norms and policy institutions, both in Australia and around the world. Leading researchers from a range of disciplines will undertake multidisciplinary research to help governments, businesses, and consumers prepare for ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. This Centre intends to generate crucial knowledge to inform social and economic responses to population ageing, one of the most important issues of the 21st century. Population ageing exerts unprecedented pressures on social norms and policy institutions, both in Australia and around the world. Leading researchers from a range of disciplines will undertake multidisciplinary research to help governments, businesses, and consumers prepare for and make better decisions for an ageing world, with consequent social and economic benefits for families and communities expected to flow to Australia, the Asian region and the world.Read moreRead less
Investigating the characteristics of older adults' conversation behaviour. The project aims to determine the factors that negatively impact older adults’ ability to engage in conversation. This is an important health issue; conversations are essential for communicating needs and maintaining social links; reduced social engagement leads to serious health problems and anticipates cognitive decline. The project will compile profiles of older adults' auditory-visual conversation behavior and indices ....Investigating the characteristics of older adults' conversation behaviour. The project aims to determine the factors that negatively impact older adults’ ability to engage in conversation. This is an important health issue; conversations are essential for communicating needs and maintaining social links; reduced social engagement leads to serious health problems and anticipates cognitive decline. The project will compile profiles of older adults' auditory-visual conversation behavior and indices of perceptual, cognitive and social skills. A path model will link these data to ratings of social engagement and satisfaction. By identifying factors leading to low ranked conversations, evidence-based guidelines can be developed for older adults and their carers to enhance communication and improve health and well-being.Read moreRead less
Investigating differences in decision-making ability in older adults. This project aims to investigate how healthy ageing impacts decision making and its associated neural circuits using computation modelling and neurogenetic methods. Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive ability, allowing us to choose the best course of action. This project will investigate the relationship between genes and decision-making performance across the adult lifespan. Expected outcomes include a deeper understan ....Investigating differences in decision-making ability in older adults. This project aims to investigate how healthy ageing impacts decision making and its associated neural circuits using computation modelling and neurogenetic methods. Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive ability, allowing us to choose the best course of action. This project will investigate the relationship between genes and decision-making performance across the adult lifespan. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of how decision-making evolves in healthy ageing, and a tool based on genetic scores and computational modelling to predict an individual's trajectory of cognitive function. This could help identify individuals who are at risk for cognitive decline, which could then inform better interventions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100084
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,148.00
Summary
Creative ageing through transformative engagement with music. This project aims to evaluate how participation in music activities can foster personal growth, self-efficacy and purpose amongst older adults. Using a novel hybrid theoretical framework, it will generate new knowledge about what elements in music activities deliver such transformative effects and how to widen access. Expected outcomes include a blueprint for transformative music activities, and resources to design them, as well as gu ....Creative ageing through transformative engagement with music. This project aims to evaluate how participation in music activities can foster personal growth, self-efficacy and purpose amongst older adults. Using a novel hybrid theoretical framework, it will generate new knowledge about what elements in music activities deliver such transformative effects and how to widen access. Expected outcomes include a blueprint for transformative music activities, and resources to design them, as well as guidelines and an online, interactive map to make them more widely accessible to our ageing population. Benefits will be improved wellbeing and quality of life for older adults and carers, guidance for music groups, and resources and recommendations for aged-care providers to implement music activities.Read moreRead less