Thursday Three - 30 October 2025 

• Remaining AAG Research Trust Awardees Announced!

• Introducing #AAGConf25 speaker: Mary Ingrames

• AAG Queensland Division Update from Dr Kristen Tulloch

New AAG Older Members Group

AAG is proud to announce the formal establishment of the AAG Older Members Group (OMG), a group of those whose lived experience and professional wisdom span decades of commitment to advancing the field of ageing. This group will provide a platform for advice, collaboration, and contribution across AAG activities.

Read more about this and all AAG special interest groups (SIGs).

From top left: Some of our amazing OMG members at #AAGConf24 in Hobart - Linda Rosenman; Jane Sims (OMG co-Convenor) & Robin Harvey; Marianne Cummins & Sharon Wall (OMG co-Convenor); Anita Westera; Marguerite Bramble; Yvonne Wells

Remaining AAG Research Trust Awardees Announced!

The grant programs of the AAG Research Trust enable important work that often falls outside the criteria of other large government funding programs. In this way, the Research Trust promotes AAG's fundamental commitment to improving the experience of ageing by connecting research, policy and practice.

Further to our recent announcement of the 2025 RM Gibson Program and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led grant awardees, AAG and the AAG Research Trust are pleased to advise the successful applications to the Hal Kendig Research Development and Strategic Innovation programs. We congratulate all applicants, whose submissions were inspiring in their diversity, purpose and passion.

The awardees for 2025 are:

Hal Kendig Research Development Program 

Older people living alone with dementia: Exploring unmet needs, and barriers and facilitators to support
Dr Sally Day, Lecturer - Occupational Therapy, The University of Sydney

Co-design through a cultural lens: Exploring health information access and falls prevention education among older Chinese Australian adults
Dr Cheng Yen Loo, Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia

Strategic Innovation Program

Towards a Consensus-Based Housing Condition Framework for Healthy Ageing in Australia
Dr Saman Khalatbari-Soltani, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney

Enabling Meaningful Choice in Residential Aged Care Mealtimes: Toward Inclusive and Best-Practice Guidelines
Dr Alice Pashley, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Ageing Research and Translation, University of Canberra

The following additional Strategic Innovation Program grant has been awarded through our valued partnership with the Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF):

Regional health professionals’ attitudes toward social prescription of concurrent art and wellness programs for people with dementia and their caregivers
Dr Carolyn Murray, Senior Lecturer, University of South Australia

We wish all 2025 AAG Research Trust awardees much success with their projects. You can find out more about the AAG Research Trust on the AAG website, and we encourage everyone to look out for future announcements regarding grant opportunities in 2026.

Introducing #AAGConf25 speaker: Mary Ingrames

Mary Ingrames is currently a clinical nurse consultant for the aged care unit in Darwin, where she supports complex discharges to NT Health's hospital care program and residential aged care right in the top end.

She previously served as a clinical nurse consultant for the NT Health Older Australians Wellbeing Program across the NT from 2021 to 2024. In 2018, she helped establish the first GEM ward in the NT at Palmerston Regional Hospital as the CNM.

With over 25 years of experience, Mary has worked in residential and community aged care, community mental health, and dementia behaviour consultancy across regional and remote parts of the NT. She's been a proud member of the NT AAG Committee since 2010, when the NT AAG Division was founded.

Mary holds a master's degree in mental health nursing (aged care) from Flinders University.

There’s still time to register for our national conference in Mparntwe / Alice Springs (11 to 14 November 2025). Take advantage of special flight discounts from our exclusive airline partner, Qantas, and book today!

AAG Queensland Division Update from Dr Kristen Tulloch

The AAG Queensland Division has had a quieter start to 2025, but don't worry - there's been plenty happening behind the scenes, and we're excited to announce a great range of activities moving forward.

In August, our wonderful QLD Student and Early Career Group (QLD SECG), led by Dr Kristina Chelberg and Dr Karly Bartrim, hosted several coffee catch ups in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and online. These well-attended gatherings will return in early December for our early career AAG members. We're also planning to expand these networking opportunities to additional regional areas in 2026. If you'd like to host one near you, please let us know.

In October, AAG partnered with the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Gerontological Alliance of Nurses Australia (GANA) to present on protecting older adults from harm (A recording of this event will be available and linked from our video library once GANA have uploaded it to their YouTube channel). Criminologist Dr Emily Moir and her PhD candidates, Ms Jessica Lockitch and Ms Madeline Lee, shared their research on abuse prevention – sobering but deeply valuable and important research.

Our Committee will meet in late November to start planning events for 2026. If you have ideas for events, please send them to [email protected] by Monday, 24th November. You’re also always welcome to share ideas throughout the year.

We look forward to our annual social event open to all AAG members on 28 November, with the option to bring a non-AAG friend. Note - any guests will need to register to RSVP, but are very welcome. Please join us if you can!