Theme Areas
Healthy Ageing

Background information

The Healthy Ageing Theme is based at Monash University. Geriatric medical expertise is provided from five Universities across four States. Medical and psychological aspects of healthy ageing are strengthened by the Flinders Centre for Ageing Studies, the UNSW Ageing Research Centre, the ANU’s Medical School and Centre for Mental Health Research, and the University of Newcastle’s Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing. The Network includes the research leaders of all these research Centres.

Professor Colette Browning is the Theme Convener. The Co-Convenor is Professor Mary Luszcz. This theme will examine ways in which older people can actively maintain or restore their health and well being, as well as ways in which social environments and health promotion interventions can actively postpone, reduce or prevent some of the health problems associated with ageing. Research is needed to identify the determinants, and impacts of healthy ageing from a range of perspectives including biological, behavioural, psychological, social, environmental and economic. The focus will be on the cognitive, sensory, and affective domains, age-associated chronic illnesses (including mental illnesses), and neurodegenerative diseases as well as prevention, management and rehabilitation in persons exhibiting or at risk of frailty and disability.

Some of the issues within the scope of this theme, and in which Participant Members have considerable expertise, include:

• cognitive competence and mental health
• physical activity and nutrition
• chronic disease self-management
• socio-economic and environmental influences on health
• population health and ageing
• telehealth
• health promotion in the older population.