Promoting engagement with life in older adulthood. This project aims to examine engagement in meaningful activities among older adults. Increasing older adults' engagement could promote direct benefits for social integration, well-being and better quality of life. The project is expected to generate new knowledge on programs that effectively promote engagement, as well as evaluating a new tailored approach to promoting engagement that aligns with individuals' unique strengths, capabilities and ....Promoting engagement with life in older adulthood. This project aims to examine engagement in meaningful activities among older adults. Increasing older adults' engagement could promote direct benefits for social integration, well-being and better quality of life. The project is expected to generate new knowledge on programs that effectively promote engagement, as well as evaluating a new tailored approach to promoting engagement that aligns with individuals' unique strengths, capabilities and values. The findings aim to provide benefits for community organisations and aged care service providers adopting innovative approaches to promoting ageing well.
Read moreRead less
The NSW child development study. Research shows that a child's development predicts health and social outcomes later in life. This Australian project will be the first to identify risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes in 87,000 children from birth to 10 years. The results will help inform governments to improve our children's health and educational achievements.
Understanding and preventing workforce vulnerabilities in midlife and beyond. This project brings together frontline service agencies with researchers from two universities to study involuntary non-participation and under-participation in the labour market by midlife Australians. Quantitative and qualitative approaches will be used to understand pathways and outcomes so as to inform policy and practice responses.
Vulnerable families: A study of the impact of parental offending and incarceration on children's developmental outcomes. The limited evidence available suggests that parental incarceration severely compromises the development and well-being of children and increases the risk of delinquency. The financial and personal costs to the community of individuals embarking on an offending career are substantial. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively target ....Vulnerable families: A study of the impact of parental offending and incarceration on children's developmental outcomes. The limited evidence available suggests that parental incarceration severely compromises the development and well-being of children and increases the risk of delinquency. The financial and personal costs to the community of individuals embarking on an offending career are substantial. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively targeting this high-risk population. This research will identify where and when scarce government resources should be targeted. Appropriately timed programs can deliver a range of long-term benefits for children, families and communities. The research will also investigate the reintegration of prisoners into their families, with the aim of reducing prisoner recidivism.Read moreRead less
Studying the impact of pulsed magnetic fields on neural tissue. This project will determine the optimal parameters of pulsed magnetic fields for treating the ageing and/or damaged brain. The safety features, low cost and compact size of the medical device being investigated maximise compliance and make it relevant to populations in remote and rural areas.
Exploring processes of change in parenting interventions for high-risk parents. This study will identify the timing and triggers of change in parents as they participate over 18 months in an intensive therapeutic parenting program. The findings will inform planners and service providers about the most effective features of such programs to facilitate change in parents at risk of abuse and neglect of their children.
How critical is the inflammatory response in senile plaque formation in a mutant APP transgenic mouse model? The aims of this project is to examine the brains of mice genetically engineered to produce a human mutant form of insoluble beta amyloid protein known to play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). If the "trigger" for AD is an inflammatory reaction, then the relevant examination of the early stages of senile plaque formation in these animals could lead to pharma ....How critical is the inflammatory response in senile plaque formation in a mutant APP transgenic mouse model? The aims of this project is to examine the brains of mice genetically engineered to produce a human mutant form of insoluble beta amyloid protein known to play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). If the "trigger" for AD is an inflammatory reaction, then the relevant examination of the early stages of senile plaque formation in these animals could lead to pharmaceutical intervention to delay the development of this debilitating disease. A 5 year delay would significantly reduce the number of people with AD, not only adding years of improved quality of life, but also saving hundreds of millions of Australian dollars in health costs.Read moreRead less
Engineering a silk fibroin based ear drum with optimum acoustic properties. This project will use new silk fibroin materials to develop ear drums with improved acoustic properties. This will lead to significant improvement in the quality of life of nearly 2.5 million people in Australia who are affected by hearing loss and further strengthen Australia's leading position in this area.
Using 'biological motion' to enhance the nighttime safety of road workers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are a major road safety problem, accounting for a third of road fatalities at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion/year. Late recognition of pedestrians and cyclist by drivers is the main reason for these collisions. We have shown that innovative visibility designs which involve strategic placement of reflective markers on the moveable joints can greatly enhance vi ....Using 'biological motion' to enhance the nighttime safety of road workers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are a major road safety problem, accounting for a third of road fatalities at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion/year. Late recognition of pedestrians and cyclist by drivers is the main reason for these collisions. We have shown that innovative visibility designs which involve strategic placement of reflective markers on the moveable joints can greatly enhance visibility and hence safety of these vulnerable road users. We will extend this research to incorporate evaluation of these visibility solutions in real-world environments and encourage the widespread use of these designs in the real-world through education and policy change.Read moreRead less
To implement and evaluate flexible models of palliative care service delivery for terminally ill people living alone at home. Provision of evaluated services for this growing population group will lead to better planning and implementation of care being delivered at home, improved quality of life, increased capacity to die at home, and a reduction in hospitalisations and other health care costs.