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At the moment, people with dementia are not offered rehabilitation, even though this may help them communicate, function and live better. I will test and advocate for rehabilitation interventions immediately post-diagnosis and as part of home and residential care. As a leader in dementia research at the University of Sydney I will grow my research team and lead new cross-disciplinary collaborations. I will also continue to influence policy and services.
Music Therapy Interventions For Dementia: Cluster Randomised Control Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,014,430.00
Summary
Music therapy interventions are increasingly used in aged care facilities across Australia, however Australian-based research that tests its effectiveness is scarce. In this study, we track the impact of group music therapy and group singing on levels of depression, cognitive function, quality of life, and other symptoms of dementia. By providing music therapy programs across sites in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, we will also evaluate the cost effectiveness of the intervention.
Causes, Consequences And Costs Of Injury-related Hospitalisations For People With Dementia: Identifying Opportunities For Prevention And Enhanced Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
People with dementia have higher hospitalisation rates and poorer health outcomes than those of similar age without dementia. Injury is the most common cause of hospitalisation for people with dementia, however little is known about the hospitalisation experience for people with dementia who have an injury. This research will explore the influence of dementia on hospital admissions, clinical care, health outcomes and economic costs of older people with an injury to inform policy and practice.
Optimising The Management Of Comorbidities In Dementia: Reducing Disparaties And Improving Clinical Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,894.00
Summary
Many individuals with dementia also have other chronic medical conditions. This research will help us better understand the comorbidities experienced by people with dementia and the impact these have on clinical outcomes This can lead to the development of consumer-centred management strategies. By ensuring the appropriate, equitable and timely treatment of comorbidities in people with dementia, there is potential to optimise the quality of life and health of people with dementia.
Partnership Centre: Dealing With Cognitive And Related Functional Decline In Older People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$12,500,000.00
Summary
The focus of this Partnership Centre is how to better apply our existing knowledge and how to create new knowledge that will directly improve support to those elderly suffering from cognitive decline, their carer’s (formal and informal) and the various agencies delivering services for them. This Partnership Centre’s Investigator Team will engage in a range of activities to improve aged care service planning (including continuity of care and risk assessments of community care); develop and implem ....The focus of this Partnership Centre is how to better apply our existing knowledge and how to create new knowledge that will directly improve support to those elderly suffering from cognitive decline, their carer’s (formal and informal) and the various agencies delivering services for them. This Partnership Centre’s Investigator Team will engage in a range of activities to improve aged care service planning (including continuity of care and risk assessments of community care); develop and implement new approaches to support informal carer’s; reduce stigma around cognitive decline in both the health care and community context; improve the size and quality of the aged care workforce; assist with decision making, rights, citizenship and related ethics through education; improve aged care regulation; promote responsible medication management; develop and disseminate up-to-date clinical guidelines; and implement proven models of care.Read moreRead less
Younger-onset Dementia: Improving Patient And Care Outcomes Through Advancements In Diagnosis And The Identificaiton Of Genetic And Environmental Factors Which Influence Outcomes.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$227,261.00
Summary
This project aims to fully characterise symptoms of YOD and correlate these with existing and novel investigations. Carers' needs,including their psychiatric symptoms and burden will also be studied. Guidelines can be developed to assist primary care and other services to improve their ability to recognise early symptoms so they can refer patients for appropriate assessment in a timely manner, thus reducing diagnostic delay and ultimately benefiting patients and carers
Greek & Italian Residents With Dementia In Aged Care: Language Use, Psychiatric Medication,quaity Of Life & Satisfaction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$194,543.00
Summary
Australia has a growing older migrant population and rates of dementia in residential care are high. Communication difficulties for older persons with limited English language proficiency and dementia provide a particular challenge in terms of meeting care needs effectively in residential settings. The current project will compare older Greek and Italian background persons with dementia who are residing in either mainstream or ethno-specific residential care facilities in Melbourne. The study wi ....Australia has a growing older migrant population and rates of dementia in residential care are high. Communication difficulties for older persons with limited English language proficiency and dementia provide a particular challenge in terms of meeting care needs effectively in residential settings. The current project will compare older Greek and Italian background persons with dementia who are residing in either mainstream or ethno-specific residential care facilities in Melbourne. The study will extend our pilot research, which focused on language use, and will also measure a number of factors that may influence the rate of communication, including prescribed psychiatric medication, language proficiency, cognitive impairment and behavioural-psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, the project will compare factors that may differ between the facility types, to provide further understanding of services offered. Furthermore, measures of satisfaction with the facility and quality of life will be included to provide an indication of the clinical significance of residing in a mainstream or ethno-specific aged care facility. The expected outcome of the study is to provide additional data in a very under researched and increasingly important field, to inform policy and practice, with the aim of improving the quality of life for older persons from diverse backgrounds in residential care.Read moreRead less
The Impact Of Hospital-based Aged Care And Dementia Services On Outcomes For People With Dementia Admitted To Hospital-a
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,308,580.00
Summary
This research explores how hospital based aged care and dementia services influence outcomes for people with dementia who are admitted to hospital. Using detailed data for NSW public hospitals, it will provide information about the kinds of hospital based aged care and dementia services available to assist people with dementia, and how the level and mix of these services is associated with different patient outcomes, including lower rates of admission to hospital. There is considerable evidence ....This research explores how hospital based aged care and dementia services influence outcomes for people with dementia who are admitted to hospital. Using detailed data for NSW public hospitals, it will provide information about the kinds of hospital based aged care and dementia services available to assist people with dementia, and how the level and mix of these services is associated with different patient outcomes, including lower rates of admission to hospital. There is considerable evidence that there are many hazards for people with dementia when they are hospitalized. The project will result in recommendations about the types of services and their features which produce better outcomes for people with dementia. Every stage of the research will be guided and informed by an Expert Panel comprising representatives of dementia service consumers, aged care providers, health service planning staff and key researchers. The Panel will provide contextual information about the service environment and how it affects people with dementia. Details of the patient's complete hospital stay can be investigated by linking existing administrative datasets. Data about hospital services will be gathered through a census of NSW hospitals, supplemented with in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and small group expert discussions with experts in each Area Health Service. The research team will also visit selected hospital sites. Multilevel modelling techniques will test for statistical associations between hospital based dementia services and care outcomes including admission rates to hospital, total length of hospital stay, mortality, admission rates to hospital, and the level of patient dependency on entry to residential aged care. The model will include the influence of regional variations in the provision of community aged care packages and residential aged care and the availability of informal care. The project will include a focus on the outcomes for people with co-morbidities and for people from different culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.Read moreRead less
The Enhanced Advance Care Planning And Life Review Longitudinal Intervention (EARLI) Study: Increasing Proactive Care Planning In Australian Community Aged Care Settings
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$955,828.00
Summary
The Enhanced Advance care planning and life Review Longitudinal Intervention (EARLI) project will proactively screen older adults at high-risk of health decline and provide assistance to discuss and document preferences for future care. The intervention is implemented in the community aged care setting, through partnerships with home care providers. Expected benefits include increased rates of advance care planning, higher quality documents and improved wellbeing among older adults and carers.
Improving Service Provision For Early Onset Dementia: The INSPIRED Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$736,652.00
Summary
Early onset dementia (an onset of symptoms under the age of 65) is unexpected, distressing and can have devastating consequences for the person, their partner and children. People with early onset dementia face very different issues to older persons with the condition and do not fit in well with existing aged care services. The INSPIRED study will improve service delivery for younger people with dementia by ascertaining their numbers, burden, service experiences and needs.