What Can Tau Deposition Tell Us About The Appearance Of Subjective And Objective Cognitive Decline In Older Adults?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$674,077.00
Summary
Subjective memory concerns are common in older adults, but it is uncertain how they relate to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers. Novel neuroimaging techniques have been developed for measuring tau deposition, a hallmark feature of AD. Using this technique, I aim to determine whether tau is sensitive to certain types of subjective concerns. My findings will reveal which concerns are indicative of AD risk, and which arise from unrelated factors, such as inattention or stress.
Benefits Of Home-based Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation In Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,039.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death in Australia. People with lung cancer experience a complex mix of symptoms that can provoke significant distress and impair physical function. This study aims to develop and test a home based exercise and self-management support program to increase function and physical activity levels, reduce levels of depression and improve quality of life of people with lung cancer.
Moving Behavioural Neuroscience & Neuroeconomics Into Dementia Prevention: Spatial Tracking And Economic Decision-making As New Sensitive Measures Of Daily Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,588.00
Summary
This project will aim to develop new measures for clinical trials by learning the relationship between older people's movements around the house, ability to make decisions about their health and finance and their cognitive performance. These instruments may aid future trials of drugs and other interventions for preventing dementia by indicating how basic behavioural patterns respond to interventions.
Emerging from the shadows: the evaluation of intervention strategies to reduce social isolation amongst the aged. Social isolation imposes a high cost on affected individuals and the community at large. This project will determine what interventions work in addressing social isolation amongst the older population.
ELders AT Ease Program (ELATE): A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Sustainable And Scalable Mental Health Service For Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$999,551.00
Summary
Elders living in residential facilities suffer significant levels of depression or anxiety. This study examines an innovative program to improve mental health of residents living in such facilities. The program involves counselling, staff training and family support. The study uses a cluster randomised controlled trial of facilities to evaluate the impact of ELATE: Elders at Ease Program” on residents’ psychological wellbeing, staff knowledge, family carer stress and, health care costs.
Evidence Based Targeting Of Statewide Strategies For Preventing Falls Among Community Dwelling Older People In Victoria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,724.00
Summary
Falls are a significant threat to the safety, health and independence of our older citizens. The aim of this project is to enable a more effective policy response to the falls prevention challenge in Victoria. The proposed research is designed to under-pin a re-orientation and evaluation of the Department of Human Services’ falls prevention program by facilitating improved targeting of effective interventions, taking older peoples’ preferences into account and working with community agencies
Modifying The Trajectory Of Insidious Late Life Cognitive Decline Using Computerised Cognitive Training
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,152.00
Summary
Supervised, group-based computerised cognitive training (CCT) is a safe and effective intervention to maintain cognition in healthy older adults. This project will examine the extent to which CCT can attenuate or even reverse the rate of decline in older people with previously documented cognitive decline, as well as strategies to maintain CCT effects in the long term.
Emerging technologies for enrichment in old age: A critical perspective. This project aims to generate knowledge about older adults' experiences with emerging technologies used for social and emotional enrichment. Technologies like virtual reality are said to offer social benefits for those in advanced old age, but we have limited knowledge about the issues that can impede older adults’ experiences with these technologies and even cause harm for vulnerable users. This project seeks to identify e ....Emerging technologies for enrichment in old age: A critical perspective. This project aims to generate knowledge about older adults' experiences with emerging technologies used for social and emotional enrichment. Technologies like virtual reality are said to offer social benefits for those in advanced old age, but we have limited knowledge about the issues that can impede older adults’ experiences with these technologies and even cause harm for vulnerable users. This project seeks to identify empirically informed strategies for good practice in the design and deployment of emerging technologies for enrichment in old age. This should inform the future ethical design and use of emerging technologies to benefit the social and emotional well-being of older Australians.Read moreRead less
Co-designing and co-evaluating technology experiences in residential care . This project aims for meaningful experiences and skill development by older adults living in residential care using technologies. Based on the interests, abilities and everyday context it is important to introduce technologies in a way that supports agency and confidence. Through co-design and co-evaluation we develop a process to explore technology choices and learning. We will (i) generate guidelines for introducing te ....Co-designing and co-evaluating technology experiences in residential care . This project aims for meaningful experiences and skill development by older adults living in residential care using technologies. Based on the interests, abilities and everyday context it is important to introduce technologies in a way that supports agency and confidence. Through co-design and co-evaluation we develop a process to explore technology choices and learning. We will (i) generate guidelines for introducing technology, (ii) develop methods and success criteria for the co-evaluation of the process, and (iii) gain in-depth understandings of how facilitation and technology uptake are enacted in a range of residential settings. Older adults in residential care will benefit through increased digital equity and technology adoption. Read moreRead less
The financialisation of older persons residential parks and rental villages. The project aims to explore and explain contemporary change in the residential parks and communities (PC) and rental villages (RV) sectors, and to set out policy implications, including for housing affordability; housing legal rights; ageing support and care; and financial services consumer protection.
Pitched to older persons as affordable alternatives to homeownership and to retirement villages, PCs and RVs are chang ....The financialisation of older persons residential parks and rental villages. The project aims to explore and explain contemporary change in the residential parks and communities (PC) and rental villages (RV) sectors, and to set out policy implications, including for housing affordability; housing legal rights; ageing support and care; and financial services consumer protection.
Pitched to older persons as affordable alternatives to homeownership and to retirement villages, PCs and RVs are changing, with new large corporate proprietors introducing new business models and housing offers. Financialisation perspectives offer new critical insights into the sectors, including their relations to wider housing and economic dynamics, the strategies and operations of sector organisations, and the everyday lives of residents.Read moreRead less