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Ageing Research Expo

HARC, with support of ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Ageing Well,  coordinated the Ageing Research Expo held at the Launch by Office for the Ageing (OFTA) of their report: State of Ageing in South Australia on 17th September 2009 at Hyatt Regency Ballroom, North Terrace.

The State of  Ageing in South Australia report provides a detailed snapshot of South Australia's older population. It provides a benchmark of the contemporary and impending situation of the South Australian older population in order to identify implications and opportunities both present and into the future which will influence policy and service directions as its population ages.

The report is the first project of the South Australian Ageing Research Round Table, an initiative of the Office for the Ageing that brings together the University of Adelaide (including HARC convenors), Flinders University and University of South Australia. The group will monitor the implications of an ageing population and link policy into practice.  A Summary Report is available.

Launch guests and poster display	Minister Rankine launching State of Ageing in South Australia report	Minister Rankine launching State of Ageing in South Australia report

The Ageing Research Expo showcased the work currently being done by researchers in all ageing-related fields across South Australia with a display of 66 posters. It provided an opportunity for researchers to extend their network of relevant contacts and communicate their reseaarch to an extensive audience.

Mr Sean Hudson (prize-winner) and his poster "Anti-amyloid Effects of the Polyphenol EGCG."	Dr Emma Thornton (prize-winner) in front of her poster "Substance P is Deleterious in Early Experimental Parkinson's Disease."	Researcher networking in action.

Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP, Minister for Ageing, awarded prizes on the day in 4 categories:

• Best Poster from a PhD Candidate
  • First Prize: Mr Sean Hudson, Discipline of Chemistry, University of Adelaide,
    Anti-amyloid Effects of the Polyphenol EGCG.
  • Second Prize: Ms Christine Barry, Discipline of Pathology, University of Adelaide,
    Oedema and Intracranial Pressure in Subarachnoid Haemorrhage.
    
    

    Mr Sean Hudson (left) and Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)	Ms Christine Barry (left) accepting her award from Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)

• Best Poster from an Early-Career Researcher (0-5 years post-doc)
  • First Prize: Dr Emma Thornton, Discipline of Pathology, University of Adelaide,
    Substance P is Deleterious in Early Experimental Parkinson's Disease.
  • Second Prize: Dr Kate Burns, School of Social Work, Flinders University,
    The Provision of ‘Hands On’ Care for Aged People Dying from Chronic Disease – Findings from a SA Population Health Survey.
    
    

    Dr Emma Thornton (left) accepting her award from Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)	Dr Catherine Burns (left) receiving    her award from Hon. Jennifer    Rankine MP (right)

• Most Innovative Research
  • First Prize: Ms Ashleigh Smith, The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide,
    Long Interval Intracortical Inhibition has a Lower Threshold in Ageing Men.
  • Second Prize: Dr Natalie Luscombe-Marsh, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide,
    The Nutritional Status of Meals on Wheels Clients and its Association with Health Outcomes. 
    
    

    Ms Ashleigh Smith (left) accepting her award from Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)	Dr Natalie Luscombe-Marsh (left)  accepting her award from Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)

• Best Research-to-Policy Poster
  • First Prize: Professor Christopher Nordin, Discipline of Pathology, University of Adelaide/IMVS,
    Prevention of Fractures in the Elderly with Vitamin D and Calcium. Application of Research to Preventive Medicine.
  • Second Prize: Dr Natalie Luscombe-Marsh, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide,
    The Nutritional Status of Meals on Wheels Clients and its Association with Health Outcomes.
    
    

    Professor Christopher Nordin (right) is congratulated by Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (left)	Dr Natalie Luscombe-Marsh (left)  accepting her award from Hon. Jennifer Rankine MP (right)

Workshop

HARC was pleased to co-host the workshop "Ageing in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges" on 3rd June 2009 at the University of Adelaide.

Speaker: Professor Sara J. Czaja, Director of the Centre for Research and Education on Ageing and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) at the University of Miami.

Professor Czaja has extensive experience in ageing research and a long commitment to developing strategies to improve the quality of life for older adults. Her research interests include: ageing and cognition, ageing and healthcare access and service delivery, ageing and technology, human-computer interaction, training, and functional assessment.

Workshop background and themes:
The elderly population of today and of tomorrow will be healthier, better educated and wealthier than previous generations. Thus many older adults will continue to take an active role in society and engage in work, learning, leisure activities, and desire to live in independent settings. This creates enormous opportunities for ergonomists, designers, researchers and policy makers to develop strategies to maximize the contributions of older people and ensure that they are able to live independently and remain productively engaged.

Coupled with the ageing of the population is the increasing use of technology in most settings. Technology can be used to foster the independence of older adults however, at the same time older adults need to be able to successfully adapt to dynamic changes in technology systems. Designers play a critical role in this process with respect to ensuring that technology systems are designed so that they are useful to and usable by older adult populations.

Please email Susan Gravier to request two PowerPoint presentations from the workshop

ASMR Scientific Meeting 2009

HARC is pleased to continue its support of Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) with sponsorship for Adelaide ASMR Scientific Meeting held 2nd June 2009.

The HARC-sponsored Healthy Ageing session comprised six presentations of a very high standard on the following topics:

• The role of certain genes as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets in osteoarthritis
• The systemic involvement of bone in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis
• The effects of glucose load on blood pressure, heart rate and splanchnic blood flow in healthy elderly
• The effects of alpha-cyclodextrin on blood pressure, gastric emptying and glycaemia in the elderly
• Fructose malabsorption in infants and toddlers with gastrointestinal symptoms
• The relationship between weight status and sleep duration in adolescents on school and non-school days

The prize for the best oral presentation was shared by:

• Dr Diana Gentilcore, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide: Effetcs of alpha-cyclodextrin on blood pressure, gastric emptying and glycaemia in the elderly
• Ms Hilary Jones, Sansom Institute, UniSA: Fructose malabsorption in infants and toddlers with gastrointestinal symptoms

The prize for the best poster presentation was awarded to:

• Ms Nga Lam, Hanson Institute and School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide: Osteoblast-specific VDR over-expression protects against bone loss due to Vitamin D-deficiency in a transgenic mouse model

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