Thursday Three - 18 01 2024

• AAG/ARIIA pilot

• AJA update

• COTA surveys

SECG members to pilot ARIIA program

In November, we announced that AAG was partnering with Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) to pilot a modified Innovator Training Program (ITP) with AAG Student and Early Career (SECG) members.

We are pleased to announce the nine SECG members who will be taking part in this program (listed alphabetically by first name and with title of their projects):

• Dr Asmita Manchha, Qld: Challenging the stigmatising discourses associated with aged care work- development of a communication resource for the aged care workforce
• Ms Brigid McInerney, Vic: Implementation of a psychotropic adverse event monitoring tool in the residential care setting
• Dr Debbie Pu, Vic: Meal-time difficulties in transitional care and residential aged care facilities: Why so hard to swallow?
• Dr Deborah Brooks, Qld: Pilot-testing a Mental Health Care Indicator Tool within residential aged care homes
• Ms Kathleen McCauley, WA: Let’s Chat! Connecting older people and their caregivers’ with aged care information about support at home
• Dr Marianne Coleman, Vic: Developing a dementia eyecare pathway for residential aged care
• Ms Nicole Ee, NSW: Increasing male older adult participation in intergenerational interventions
• Ms Pip Mackey, Vic: The Little Things: Communication training for the aged care workforce
• Ms Rachel McKittrick, Vic: Care and support needs of older people requiring Australian government-funded home-based aged care

This pilot program will equip SECG members with the transferrable skills and knowledge required to design and plan the implementation of evidence-based solutions into practice, and to build a strong career and meaningful collaborations to drive industry-led research. It starts in March 2024.

Congratulations to you all!

Australasian Journal on Ageing Volume 42 (Issue 4)

The December issue of the Australasian Journal on Ageing is now available.

This issue features an editorial highlighting the public health impact of climate change, so it is somewhat ironic that production was delayed by extreme weather events. We wish our production team well as they deal with recovery efforts.

This issue also features an Invited Editorial from the 2023 AAG Gary Andrews International Fellow, Professor Shannon Jarrott. For those who didn’t get the chance to hear her speak at the AAG Conference in November, I can recommend her overview of intergenerational programs.

Other items continue to reflect the comprehensive range of research being conducted across gerontology and geriatric medicine, including:

• A review of carer partnership models to manage delirium in acute care
• A review on cultural safety strategies for First Nations older people
• A report on a RCT assessing the use of cannabinoid-based medicines in caring for residents living with dementia
• A report on feedback from older Australians on preferences forInternet-based services and content.

The complete Table of Contents and all articles can be accessed (subject to membership) at Australasian Journal on Ageing: Vol 42, No 4 (wiley.com)

All AAG members have free access to the journal through the membership portal.

COTA surveys

Our friends at COTA Australia are responding to two separate Australian Government inquiries: one on supermarket prices and another on issues related to menopause and perimenopause. Please share this opportunity for input across your networks.

Supermarket prices

A Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices has been established to inquire into supermarket price setting practices. The Select Committee wants to hear from Australians to gain their views about:

• How the increase in food and grocery prices (food inflation) is impacting their lives, and
• Whether supermarkets are manipulating these price increases to expand their profit margins.

You can share your comments through an online survey or by email to [email protected] by 23 January 2024.

Menopause and perimenopause

A Senate Community Affairs References Committee into Menopause and Perimenopause is holding a public consultation to understand how issues related to menopause and perimenopause affect workplace participation. It also seeks to understand how workplaces can be more supportive of individuals experiencing symptoms.

To support its submission to the References Committee, COTA Australia plans to hold three online focus groups during the first week of February. Register your interest online or by emailing [email protected] with your full name and the State/Territory where you live.