Newsletter 5: October 2006

Our new Interim Director - David Harrison

Rosemary Calder resigned as Interim Director of MonRAS on Friday 22 September 2006. She is leaving us to head up the new Mental Health and Workforce Division of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. During her time as Interim Director, Rosemary has recognised the huge potential at Monash in the area of ageing research, and she is great confidence in the on-going development of MonRAS. Rosemary will be retaining her honorary appointment atMonash University and will continue to have a role in supporting the Executive Committee and the project team.

David Harrison commenced working with MonRAS on September 4 and conducted a three week handover with Rosemary. David has worked extensively in the health and human services sector over 25 years including positions as Regional Director of the Hume Region, in the Aged Care Division of DHS and at the Victorian HealthCare Association. He was an Assistant Secretary in the Victorian Cabinet Office, being secretary to the Economics, Rural Affairs and Urban Infrastructure Committees of Cabinet.

David consults widely on aged care and related issues to government, service providers and support agencies on program development and evaluation.  He has held project development and research positions at Latrobe, Melbourne and Central Queensland Universities.

We have asked David a few questions about ageing research at Monash University

1.   What value does MonRAS offer researchers?

MonRAS provides an environmental scan for emerging opportunities and a capacity to facilitate the exploration of the issues with researchers.
We also can assist in doing a lot of the early door knocking and introductory discussions with potential supporters of Monash ageing research.
Having experienced researchers on the MonRAS team available to focus and support specific streams of research also takes some of the pressure of individual researchers. This can also helps ensure coordinated and timely delivery of research outcomes for the funder, especially in the case of more complex and extended research with broad based teams of contributors.

2.   What are your first impressions of research on ageing at Monash?

I have been very impressed with the current diversity of research being undertaken and the willingness of most to participate in exploring emerging opportunities with others through the various working groups that have been established.

3.   What will you focus be over the next few months?

Once we have  our core funding secured for 2007 from within the University, we will be moving into a high profile “marketing” phase where we systematically approach external funders with a range of support options.  These could be as diverse as funding new professorships to funding support positions in specific  ageing research.   Additional seed funding for support of research development opportunities will also be sought.

4.   How do you plan to increase researcher funding?

A strong focus will be on ensuring Monash University’s enhanced capacities in ageing research are well promoted with key funding bodies such as the Commonwealth and state governments.  For example the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) has an extensive research program where experienced research teams are invited to make formal bids.  Monash need to be on these lists in a wider range of ageing research fields.

5.   How is Monash positioned to capitalise on ageing research opportunities?

We are already very credible in some of the specialist areas.  The research groups taking time to examine emerging areas and putting in the time and effort to scope issues and identify research directions and key hypotheses will pay off. The Research support scheme again will facilitate better and more considered preparation of large research bids to the likes of ARC/NHMRC.
The bringing together of potential funders such as local governments with a range of researchers into aging will also result in the identification of new research and evaluation opportunities.We will increasingly have a credible base from which to look towards more international collaborative research.

The MonRAS Research Support Scheme

We are pleased to announce the successful applications to the MonRAS Research Support Scheme 2006. The scheme aims to provide seed funding to enable full project proposals to be developed for submission to external competitive research funding. This year we received eleven quality applications from across a number of faculties and representing every Victorian campus.

We would like to thank all researchers for their participation in the scheme and congratulate the successful applicants.

The successful applicants are:

Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Ageing Program

 Monash University in partnership with the University of Sydney is conducting a series of three linked studies that form a large longitudinal study on healthy ageing: The Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Ageing Program. The Program Directors are Professor Colette Browning, Monash Institute of Health Services Research and Professor Hal Kendig, University of Sydney. The multidisciplinary research team for the three related studies has included psychologists, sociologists, medical researchers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and public health researchers. The program has received funding primarily from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council over the period 1994-2005.

The Program commenced in 1994 when a baseline survey of 1000 people aged 65 year and over living in non-institutional settings was conducted in Melbourne, Australia. The survey population for the 1994 baseline survey was defined as all residents of private dwellings in metropolitan Melbourne, aged 65 years and over.  With assistance from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Victorian electoral roll was used to develop a clustered sample. Comparisons with the Census show that the delivered sample was representative of older people in Melbourne, apart from those too ill to be interviewed and non-English speaking people.

Participants were interviewed face-to-face by trained interviewers in their homes using a structured recording tool and questionnaire at the initial data collection in 1994 and they also filled in a self-completion questionnaire. In 2004 they were also interviewed face to face using a structured questionnaire in their homes. The tools include a comprehensive battery of measures of medical conditions, functional and social health, health behaviours, mental health, pain, falls, continence, medication use, care giving, spirituality, sexuality, neighbourhood satisfaction and health and community service use. During the intervening period between 1994 to 2004, every two years (1996,1998, 2000, 2002) participants were interviewed using a Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing method (CATI). In 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2005 participants completed a mail-out questionnaire.
 
Over the 12-year period of the study, final outcomes data has been collected for the 1000 participants. As at 01/01/06 the following outcomes had occurred for the participants:
•    54 were alive and living in residential care facilities.
•    413 had died. Of these 133 were known to have died after entering residential care.
•    345 were alive and were living the community and participated in the study.
•    188 were lost to the study sample

Free Student Registration for the 3rd International Conference on Healthy Ageing and Longevity

Monash Research for an Ageing Society (MonRAS) is offering a limited number of free registrations (value $550.00) to graduate students.
To apply for the registration send an email to monras@adm.monash.edu.au with the following details:

•     name
•     supervisor's name
•     faculty
•     area of interest in ageing research.

We must receive your email by COB Tuesday October 10
You will be advised of the outcome by email on Wednesday October 11
For more information on the conference visit their website

Register your interest

The number of researches with an interest in ageing who have completed our web-form is now over 110. Whether you are looking to break into ageing research, looking for assistance with funding or seeking potential collaborators completing the web-form will help MonRAS to help you. If you are yet to complete the form, please follow the link

Funding Opportunities

http://www.ageingresearchinitiative.monash.org/funding.html

Upcoming events

The 3rd International Conference on Healthy Ageing & Longevity

Co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO).

13 - 15 October 2006
Melbourne Convention Centre, Victoria
Further information http://www.longevity-international.com/default.asp

Australian Association of Gerontology 39th National Conference

'Diversity in Ageing'

22 - 24 November 2006
Wesley Conference Centre, 
Further information http://www.aag.asn.au/conference2006.htm

Contact us

If you have any conference, seminar or funding opportunity announcements or other news that you would like publicised to the Monash researcher community through the MonRAS newsletter and/or website please contact the MonRAS Executive Officer - Shane Ryan.