Help! I'm Ageing

Most of us know very little about residential aged care homes until we need to! What can you do today, so you and your family are better prepared when decisions need to be made if a loved one’s health or mobility declines? You'll learn: What residential care actually looks like day to day What families can do to stay involved in a loved one’s life (hint: staff want your help) Why the decision to move a loved one into a home is not giving up How staff play a key role in enriching residents’ lives Guest: Professor Helen Rawson, Registered Nurse, Deputy Head of Monash School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing. Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References The A-PRECISE model: Building capacity to prevent and manage infections in residential aged care – Monash University / NCHA Living Lab Project Monash School of Nursing and Midwifery A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Staff Needs for Coping With Grief and Loss in Residential Aged Care – Monash University Research…

An estimated 270,000 older Australians don't have stable housing, and most of them aren't sleeping rough. If you're worried about your own housing situation, or someone in your life who's struggling to find a secure home, this episode will equip you with the skills to take action. You'll learn: Homelessness is not what you think! What is housing instability? Why insecure housing makes managing your health so challenging Why hospitals often don't ask about it and how NCHA research is changing that How to start a conversation to help address stigma Guest: Nilakshi Gunatillaka, Qualitative Health Researcher, Monash University and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References: The Deep End Living Lab: Inclusive and integrated health and social care for homeless populations – Monash University / NCHA Living Lab Project Jack Brockhoff Foundation Council on the Ageing (COTA) Swinburne University homelessness estimates (2025) Homelessness Australia Homelessness…

Dementia affects at least 450,000 Australians, and that's just the ones we know about. It's the second most common cause of death in the country. Around 1.7 million people are involved in caring for someone with the condition. But is it preventable? And if you get a diagnosis, what happens next? In this episode, you'll meet one of Australia's leading dementia experts, Professor Velandai Srikanth. You'll learn: What dementia is (and what it isn't) and why forgetting where you put your keys is probably not it Why prevention starts at midlife, not old age Myth-busting dementia prevention: what's the impact of things like turmeric, Sudoku, alcohol and video games? What to do when a loved one with dementia ends up in hospital Why giving hope to people diagnosed with dementia is so important. Guest: Professor Velandai Srikanth, Geriatrician and Director, National Centre for Healthy Ageing Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References: Dementia Australia Lancet Commission (2024) Dementia prevention,…

We may want to age at home, but most people haven't planned for it. What can you put in place today, before a single fall takes that option away? In this episode you'll learn about: Assistive technology to help you stay independent How to modify your home to support daily tasks Getting involved in Ageing Well Clinics Testing new ideas at the NCHA Independent Living Laboratory – a simulation house! Guest: Associate Professor Libby Callaway, Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre, Monash University and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References NCHA Independent Living Laboratory and Mobility Garden Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University NCHA Ageing Well Clinics – Healthy Futures Hub, Belvedere Reserve, Seaford VIC NCHA Ageing well programs and events My Aged Care (Support at Home program) National Equipment Database (NED) – 45,000+ products Healthy Futures Hub – St Kilda Football Club and Frankston City…

Most people only meet a geriatrician when they end up in emergency. By then you're often behind the eight ball. Geriatricians are medical specialists trained to look at the whole person, not a single disease or organ. They zoom out and ask how your conditions, medications, day-to-day life, and the people around you, all fit together. This bigger picture is usually where the answers are. You'll learn: What a geriatrician actually does, and how it's different from your GP Why age isn't the deciding factor ("it's not the years, it's the mileage") What happens in a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Why the patient is always the boss, even when family disagrees Guest: Dr Chris Moran, Geriatrician at Bayside Health and Associate Professor, Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References NCHA Living Labs Research Program NCHA Community and Resources Hub NCHA Healthy Ageing Resources Disclaimer: Tracy and Taya are not medical doctors. This…

A third of Australians aged in their 50s and 60s are drinking at risky levels. Most don't realise they are. How do you recognise if your drinking is becoming a problem, and what can you do about it? You'll learn: Why alcohol affects your body differently as you age How even small amounts increase your cancer and dementia risk What a standard drink actually looks like when you pour one at home (hint: it's smaller than you think) How retirement, menopause and other life changes can increase alcohol use Guest: Dr Tina Lam, Senior Research Fellow, Monash Addiction Research Centre and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing Hosts: Tracy Parish & Dr Taya Collyer Links & References Beyond 50 Study – Monash Addiction Research Centre / NCHA Living Lab project Alcohol culture change for positive ageing – Monash Addiction Research Centre / NCHA Living Lab project Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) – Alcohol data Australian Alcohol Guidelines (NHMRC) NCHA Community and Resources Hub NCHA Healthy Ageing…

How do we age well? There's no shortage of advice out there. The hardest part is figuring out which advice to trust. That's what this podcast is for. Each episode, you'll meet people who've lived through the questions you're now asking yourself. You'll have all your burning questions answered by researchers from the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, who have devoted their careers to helping us live well and age well. In this series you'll learn all about: Alcohol - how much is too much? Dementia, and what the evidence actually says about prevention Staying in your own home for as long as possible When to see a geriatrician (and what a geriatrician actually does) How to think about residential aged care How unstable housing can impact our health The everyday changes that make the biggest difference to how you age Your hosts are Dr Taya Collyer (lead biostatistician, National Centre for Healthy Ageing) and Tracy Parish (broadcaster and medical research journalist). New episodes coming soon. Learn more about…