Thursday Three - 15 09 2022

~ AAG Website and SRM Project Update - nearing completion! – AAG Website will be down for maintenance from Friday 16th to Tuesday 20th of September

~ Vale – Dr Gaynor Macdonald

~ Kolling Institute needs your assistance!

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this edition contains an image of a deceased person.

AAG Website and SRM Project Update - nearing completion!

Please be advised that the www.aag.asn.au website will be inaccessible from Friday 16th to Tuesday 20th of September due to maintenance as AAG will be getting a new website!

With the last couple of years behind us and the world opening-up again, I have joined AAG at an exciting time where we can reflect and look forward to new opportunities. It is my pleasure to announce that the critical initiative called the AAG website and Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) project (The Project for short), is nearing completion!

As you are aware, AAG undertook The Project, to deliver on our purpose and to allow us to build and effectively engage with a range of stakeholders, including of course connecting our members. 

A snapshot of the journey so far:

~ In 2020 we ran workshops with a broad range of stakeholders to develop the baseline scope for the project. There was confidence across the group about the direction.

~ The partner/vendor selection process was delayed to 2021 due to the impacts of Covid-19, but after a rigorous selection process the ‘AAG Vendor Selection Panel’ unanimously recommended a world leader of Association Management software and a leading online community platform to assist with the connection of AAG members, namely ASI/IMIS (for the SRM and website) and Higher Logic (for the Community Engagement tool).

~ To ensure that The Project was based around member needs, we contracted a User eXperience (UX) expert who specialises in developing an engaging web-based experience focused on your needs. This was completed earlier this year. 

~ During our due diligence process it was clear, both from conversations with the two vendors and from the experience of the six clients who had implemented both systems, that an implementation partner, separate to the vendors, was essential. CauseIs was strongly recommended by many of the clients and is a specialist in working with IMIS that has been recognised at a global leader. Following review CauseIs was appointed as AAG’s project partner.

~ From Feb 2022, we have been busy in the background with CauseIs migrating data from our current to the new website and on the 20th September, we will have a new website! 

This is a staged process, and as you can appreciate, there will teething situations, so there will be ongoing enhancements over the coming weeks as our small and dedicated team fine tune, tweak content and test the live site as expected – thank you for your patience.

Also, during this time, we will be progressing with the next stage of The Project, with the development of our new online community platform. This is a very exciting vehicle for AAG members and stakeholders to connect and share - So watch this space!

If you haven’t already registered for the conference, I would encourage you to do so. The Conference Committee have put together a fantastic programme. I look forward to meeting our members, so please come and introduce yourself at the AAG booth.

Renu Borst, AAG CEO

Vale – Dr Gaynor Macdonald

AAG was saddened to hear that AAG member and dementia advocate, Dr Gaynor Macdonald. Gaynor passed away peacefully on, July 28th. She was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer only a few weeks beforehand. Gaynor, along with fellow AAG member, A/Prof Jane Mears founded ‘Dementia Reframed’. AAG was delighted to highlight the work of ‘Dementia Reframed’ in a 30-minute conversation about living well with dementia for Dementia Action Week 2021. Their message for Dementia Action Week, ‘Dementia is a disease NOT a death sentence!’ Click here for more information and to access this FREE conversation

Our condolences to Gaynor’s family, Jane and the Dementia Reframed team, who are committed to continuing Gaynor's vision of enabling people and their carers to live well with dementia.

Kolling Institute needs your assistance

Medication and health related goals of care in older people taking multiple medications

Researchers at The University of Sydney and Kolling Institute want to know your goals of care with respect to your medications and health.

This survey (approximately 15 minutes) includes questions about:

~ Your goals of care and your medications

~ Preferred technologies (websites, emails, text messages, apps) to help you communicate your goals of care to healthcare practitioners.

We invite you to take part in this study if you are 65 years old or older, living in the community, and are taking 5 or more medications.

Any queries relating to the study, please contact Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell, [email protected], 02 9926 4934, Level 13 Kolling Building, RNSH, St Leonards, NSW, 2065.

This project has been approved by the NSLHD HREC 2022/ETH01030.

For more details and to participate in this research project please follow the links or the QR codes:

If YOU ARE a person aged 65 years or over, please click the following link, https://redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=3WFKH4H9FPLHNYRX

If you are a person CARING for a person aged 65 years or over, please click the following link

https://redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=TPLKRW8L994A7X9L

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and all information collected will be anonymous.

Thank you for considering to be part of this study.

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters