President’s Message

Welcome to this second issue of the Society’s Newsletter for 2023; I’m honoured to share some thoughts from the commencement of my term as President.  At the outset I’d like to thank Vasi Naganathan for his outstanding leadership of the ANZSGM over the last two years.  I’m grateful to Vasi for his support and assistance, which I’m sure I will continue to rely upon as he eases into the role of Immediate Past President.

At our most recent Council meeting in May we bid farewell to outgoing Council members Sean Maher (WA), Benny Katz (Vic) and Ruth Hubbard (Qld).  Of course renewal is a necessity for all representative organisations, although the contributions of retiring members will be sorely missed.  In particular I wish to pay tribute to Sean and Benny, both of whom served on Council, providing unfailingly sage advice, for many years.  We welcome Nick Spendier (WA), Lisa Kelly (Qld) and Peter Lange (Vic) as new additions to Council and I look forward to working with them and hearing their perspectives over the coming year. 

For me the highlight of the past couple of months was the Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, held in Brisbane in May.  There was a real buzz in the air throughout the three days of the conference, and it was so wonderful to catch up in person with friends, colleagues, and mentors, something that had been made very difficult by the COVID pandemic.  Having the gala dinner back in full swing, complete with a heaving dance floor, was the icing on the cake!  The Society owes its thanks to the ASM Convenors, Debbie Lee and Emily Gordon, and the rest of the Queensland organising committee.  By every metric it was a hugely successful event, and I encourage you to view the article dedicated to the Brisbane ASM in this Newsletter.  Recorded sessions from the ASM will shortly be added to the Society’s Video Library for all ASM registrants to access via the ANZSGM website.  After three months these recordings will be accessible to all Society members.  The Brisbane ASM closed with a taste of what we can expect from next year’s ASM in Christchurch, and it looks enticing – make sure you pencil the dates into your diary; 22 – 24 May 2024. 

For the first time the ASM included a workshop hosted by our Perioperative Special Interest Group, and it was fantastic to attend and witness the SIG’s achievements over the short period of time it has been operating.  It really is a success story of the last few years in the Society’s history, and is a testament to the dedication of our geriatrician colleagues who have been so eager to pick up the concept and run with it.  We hope to replicate some of this success with the establishment of a couple of other Special Interest Groups focusing on Out of Hospital Care, and Dementia, so watch this space; it would be great to see SIG workshops become a permanent fixture on the program of the ASM.  If you are interested in joining any of our SIGs, please contact Communications Officer Jo Dunlop, communications@anzsgm.org.

The recent Annual General Meeting was a milestone for our Society, with passage of a special resolution that clears the way for the ANZSGM to transition from an Incorporated Association (under NSW legislation) to a Company Limited by Guarantee (under Australian Commonwealth law).  Registration as a company under the Corporations Act 2001 will better reflect the nature of the Society as a trans-national organisation, conducting business throughout Australia and in New Zealand, and will avoid constraints imposed on the size of Incorporated Associations under NSW law.  The special resolution included the adoption of a new constitution which complies with Commonwealth regulatory requirements whilst conserving to the greatest extent practicable the particulars of the old constitution.  Work remains to be done on the drafting of bylaws and additional policies dealing with the establishment and operation of the Divisions as well as a number of other matters, and submission of a formal application to ASIC for registration as a company limited by guarantee.  We anticipate these final steps will be concluded over the next couple of months.

Recently the Society has embarked on the renewal and refreshing of a number of our committees. Each of the committees performs a critical role in the work the Society undertakes.  A page that summarises the role of each of these Committees has been added to the website.  Our committees rely on the engagement and contributions of members, and I encourage you to get involved.  If you’d like to contribute to any of our committees, please send an expression of interest to admin@anzsgm.org, indicating which committee you’re interested in, and outlining the skills and expertise you can bring to the role.  We would particularly like to see advanced trainee representation.

Over the second half of 2023 I look forward to forging closer ties with the Society’s Divisions.  My aim is to attend as many of the divisional education weekends/retreats as I can manage, hearing about the issues that are important to you in the places you deliver geriatric medicine services.  It is always fascinating to gain insight into the diversity of experiences of colleagues across our two nations, and especially to meet enthusiastic young trainees and hear their perspectives on our growing profession. 

Rob O’Sullivan
President
ANZSGM

Annual Scientific Meeting 2023 Report

By Hwee Yong Lee and Emily Gordon

The 51st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine took place in Brisbane, Queensland 10-12 May 2023. This conference marked a significant milestone as it was the first entirely face-to-face event in recent years, with recorded sessions to be made available on the society’s website in the coming weeks.

Under the theme of ‘Celebrating Successes and Understanding Failures’, the program aimed to acknowledge advances in geriatric medicine while recognising valuable lessons learned from projects that faced challenges and to highlight strategies to promote ‘healthy ageing’ while optimising management of organ and system failures.

We were honoured to have Professor Ken Rockwood from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, to share how geriatric medicine can contribute to the advancement of medicine generally by promoting the holistic approach to management of elderly patients with complex needs. Professor Rockwood also challenged our conceptualisation of brain failure, emphasising the importance of comprehensive care to prevent complications of delirium and dementia.

Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh from the University of Sydney, highlighted the significance of nutrition and exercise as ‘medicine’. She challenged conventional notions of a patient’s ‘baseline’ and emphasised the need to be brave in order to optimise ageing processes.

The conference also featured a Great Debate on the topic ‘Dementia is the problem; is pharmacotherapy the answer?’ – absolutely no one expected the affirmative team to sing their rebuttal! Other highlights included an interactive symposium on Arts and Ageing and a plenary session providing an international perspective on  geriatric medicine for indigenous communities. The program also included sessions providing clinical updates on organ failures, palliative care, sexual health, sleep medicine, and geriatric pharmacology.

The conference also hosted the first Perioperative Special Interest Group workshop and an academic writing workshop. These sessions provided valuable opportunities for participants to delve deeper into specific areas of interest and to enhance their knowledge and skills.

The advanced trainee weekend was an integral part of the conference, featuring a stellar line-up of speakers and covering a diverse range of topics. Trainees learned more about Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and exercise prescription from our keynote speakers as well as clinical pearls relating to neurological examination and addiction medicine from local experts. They also learned about the twists and turns of a career in Geriatric Medicine from Dr. Catherine Yelland and clinical academia from Professor Ruth Hubbard. Overall, this segment of the conference provided trainees with a unique platform to expand their knowledge, engage in discussions, and gain valuable perspectives from experienced professionals in the field.

With over 680 registrants, 220 abstracts received, and the presence of 21 sponsors and exhibitors, the conference exhibited exceptional participation and support. The abstracts submitted demonstrated a high level of quality, and we extend our congratulations to the winners of this year’s prizes: Dr. Rhiann Sue See (RM Gibson Award), Dr. Jesse Zanker and Dr Margot Lodge (Career Investigator Award) and Professor Alison Mudge (Poster Award).

We express our gratitude to the organising committee, the professional conference organiser ASN Events, the Scientific and Research committee, Federal Council and Alison King, and all the speakers who shared their expertise and passion for geriatric medicine. Their dedication, support and professionalism ensured the success of the conference.

We hope that all attendees enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, forge new connections, and left the conference feeling rejuvenated and inspired. We eagerly anticipate the next Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in Christchurch, Aotearoa, and extend our best wishes to the organisers for a successful event.

Advanced Trainee Weekend in Brisbane

By Benignus Logan

Following this year’s main Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), the Advanced Trainee Weekend was held on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Ninety-six attendees gathered from across Australia and New Zealand. The feedback from those who attended has been very favourable.

The trainees relished the opportunity to come together face-to-face to see their old colleagues and friends, and to network with new acquaintances.

It was a thrill to be able to see so many passionate doctors seeking to enhance their knowledge for the benefit of the older people who place their trust in them. The questions posed in sessions, and conversations had during the breaks, demonstrated their curiosity to learn and their interest in improving how care is delivered to patients.  

We were most grateful to the speakers from inside and outside of the ANZSGM community who gave up their time to prepare and deliver presentations on a wide range of topics. The Friday afternoon commenced with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh, the Australian keynote for the ASM. She put forward a passionate argument for the trainees to better understand, and practice, screening of exercise. She also set out an approach to consider exercise in the management of many of the comorbid health conditions older people are living with. It was inspiring to see her passionate person-centred approach to patient care.

Dr Christy Noble, a medical educator from the University of Queensland, then addressed the trainees on feedback literacy. She challenged the audience to stop using the “feedback sandwich”, and transition to a process where the learner has an active role to play in seeking, sense-making and responding to feedback. This was followed by Dr Jeremy Hayllar, the director of Metro North Addiction Medicine, who gave a case-based lecture on “Substance use disorders: Boomers and beyond”. It was a very pragmatic and informative session.

Professor Ken Rockwood closed out the Friday with another engaging presentation, this time focused on how trainees can ‘read’ the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and utilise it to communicate with the MDT and colleagues about a patient’s status. He was good enough to join the Friday evening drinks, much to the delight of the trainees.

On Saturday morning Dr Aisling Fleury, the director of perioperative medicine at Logan Hospital, and Tracy Picket, a leading defendant medical negligence lawyer in Brisbane, spoke about how trainees can best approach patient complaints. They also provided insights into what to expect should someone be subpoenaed to court. Dr Kristen Lefever, a neurologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital, then gave a comprehensive and practical address on the assessment of tremor. It allowed trainees to feel more competent and confident in approaching this movement disorder when they see it in their clinics.

The Saturday session finished with two highly respected and remarkable Geriatricians, Dr Catherine Yelland and Professor Ruth Hubbard. For many this was a highlight of the whole program. They both gave a most entertaining reflection on their careers, and lives more broadly, and offered frank unvarnished advice to the trainees.

The future is bright with this great group of individuals completing their Geriatric Advanced Training. We all look forward to gathering again next year in Christchurch.

ANZSGM 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting in Christchurch

ANZSGM Welcomes New Council Members

ANZSGM Council welcomed three new members at the Annual General Meeting on 11 May 2023  including Lisa Kelly (QLD), Nick Spendier (WA) and Peter Lange (VIC).

Dr Lisa Kelly trained in Ireland and has worked in Australia since 2008. Lisa completed her training at Prince of Wales Hospital n Sydney before moving to Brisbane in 2012.

Lisa currently works at Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) Brisbane where she runs an Integrated Memory clinic with Old Age Psychiatry as well as an Acute Cognitive Unit for the management of severe BPSD. She also provides weekly outreach to South West Queensland via site visits and a telehealth hybrid model. 

As the current Chair of the Queensland Dementia Aging and Frailty Network, Lisa has been involved in the roll-out of Statewide Programs – RAS, GEDI and Eat Walk Engage as well as other statewide work. Lisa works closely with the QLD Social Policy Department around implementing the findings of the Royal Commission and National Dementia Action Plan. Lisa sits on the Queensland Clinical Network Executive and the Queensland Clinical Senate and was previously the Co-Chair of the Statewide Older Persons Health Clinical Network.

Associate Professor Peter Lange completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Queensland, majoring in physiology and pharmacology. He then completed postgraduate medicine, obtaining an MBBS, internship and early years of training in Queensland. He came to Melbourne in 2005 where he completed physician and geriatrics advanced training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH). He commenced work both in the General Medicine and Geriatrics departments in 2010. In 2012 he was appointed head of the Assessment and Planning Unit at RMH.

In 2016 Peter took up a PhD with the topic ‘Delirium in Hospitalised Elderly; changing the Natural History’ at the University of Melbourne, representing the formalisation of a research interest in delirium. In 2019 he was appointed Honorary Clinical Associate Professor of the University of Melbourne.

From 2015-2017 Peter served on the Victorian Division of the ANZSGM, as member, secretary and president. He was appointed Director of Geriatrics and General Medicine at Werribee Mercy Hospital in western Melbourne in 2022. Peter’s interests are in advocacy for better care of older people in the hospital and community, and promotion of exercise in older adults.

Dr Nick Spendier trained in Western Australia and currently works at Osborne Park Hospital, visiting residential aged care homes and is the Director of Geriatric Medicine for Western Australia Country Health Service.

Nick has a special interest in medical education having previously worked as the Director of Physician Education and Director of Clinical Training at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Nick previously worked at the WA Department of Health as a medical advisor to the Chief Medical Officer and as the Chair of the Older Person Health Network.

Nick currently serves as Treasurer for the ANZSGM’s Western Australia Division.

ANZSGM Welcomes New Members

The Society welcomes the following new members who were endorsed at the Council meeting on 8 May 2023:

NSW
Sarah Davies (Full)
Amanda Kohr (AT)
Krishn Narayan (AT)
Lu Wang (AT)

New Zealand
Andrew Linton (Full)
Riah Mildenhall (AT)

Queensland
Deborah Khoo (AT)
Sara Sharma (AT)
Kae-Duen Su (AT)

South Australia
Frederick Boyle (Full)
Thanuja De Silva (Full)

Victoria
Rebecca Davis (AT)
Lannie Ho (Full)
Rui Yan Khoo (AT)
Paul Lin (AT)
Fave Liu (AT)
Tessa Lo (AT)

Western Australia
Yang Jian Ong (AT)

Update on the Society’s transition to a Company Limited by Guarantee

At the 2023 Annual General Meeting held on Thursday, 11 May 2023 at 12.00pm (AEST) the ANZSGM’s membership passed a special resolution to reform the Society from an incorporated association under New South Wales law, to a company limited by guarantee under Australian Commonwealth law to ensure that the ANZSGM can operate as a truly international organisation that complies with the regulatory requirements in these environments.

As part of this conversion  the ANZSGM adopted a new constitution that remains substantially similar in form to the former Rules of the Society but reflects changes in the way that the ANZSGM is governed to better align them with the change in nature of the Society and the practices and procedures that have been developed and matured since our establishment.

The transition is now well underway, with successful filings being made to the NSW Department of Fair Trading to deregister the Society as a NSW Incorporated Association. Submissions are now being made to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as Australia’s national corporate regulator to complete this process.

Council will continue to update the membership on this process and welcome any queries members have about this transition. Please feel free to contact head office with any questions at:

Alison King – ANZSGM Executive Officer
executive@anzsgm.org 

Update on Renewal of the Geriatric Medicine Curriculum

Following robust development and consultation processes, a revised curriculum for Geriatric Medicine has been developed, finalised and published on the RACP website. 

The College is grateful to the RACP members who gave their time and expertise to renew this curriculum, many of whom are members of ANZSGM.

The RACP’s Advanced Training Curricula Renewal project aims to transform the College’s medical education programs with a focus on competency-based training, supported by programmatic assessment approaches. 

Next steps will be careful planning of implementation, taking into account the effect of any changes on supervisors, trainees, training settings and other key stakeholders. We will be in touch with you to provide more information about timing and implementation activities as it becomes available. 

In the meantime, please reach out to me, or the Curriculum Development team, should you have any questions about the Advanced Training Curricula Renewal project. 

Hugh Stretton Oration 2023

On Thursday 27 April 2023, the Stretton Institute hosted the Hugh Stretton Oration 2023 with the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care as orator. Hugh Stretton’s passionate concerns were about fairness and equity. This plays out in population change and ageing. Like most of the developed world Australia has an ageing population. The Minister examined the impact of the increase in Australians’ life expectancy over time and the achievement’s resultant touchpoints across policy and politics. 

Member Profile: Glenise Berry

ANZSGM Life Member and retired geriatrician Glenise Berry has had a career spanning over 40 years. Glenise reflects on the changes she has seen in the specialty and the people and roles that have helped shape her esteemed path.

When did your career begin? And what led you to specialise in Geriatric Medicine?
My entry into geriatric medicine was fortuitous. I completed my Renal, metabolic training and gained my FRACP the end of 1978 as chief resident of Professor Abe Rappaport at Toronto Western, Toronto. I met Professor Lyn Beattie in the geriatric ward and was inspired and fascinated by her commitment to the burgeoning specialty of Geriatric Medicine, to this day she remains my mentor and friend. In mid 1979, my husband Dr Damien Thomson was about to finish his medical oncology training and wanted more training in Toronto, thus I needed a job. Professor Beattie informed me of the inaugural Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, with the University of Toronto, which was already filled by two Canadian young physicians and she said I would make a great Geriatrician, I replied “A what?”. I spent the next year during my Fellowship, convincing myself of geriatrics as a worthwhile specialty and becoming absolutely committed. My mother-in –law sent us an advertisement for a staff geriatrician and a staff medical oncologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital where I was an intern and we returned to Australia with full time jobs, in my home city of Brisbane. There was no advanced training in geriatrics as yet, and when I asked Dr Ric Burns, SA neurologist chair of the advisory committee for Geriatric Medicine, “How do I get registered as a geriatrician?”, he replied “Get a job as a geriatrician, you’re a geriatrician!” How things have changed! It was then that I began my full career as a Physician in Geriatric medicine with Queensland Health remaining at the PAH, but becoming a visiting 6 Session  physician after I had my first child in 1982. My career  included many roles in  the ANZSGM.

What have been my career highlights?

1. Being continually inspired by my friends and colleagues in geriatric medicine particularly the selfless, philanthropic Dr Glenda Powell, AM; my friend and mentor, Dr Paul Varghese; long term director of the Geriatric Unit, Professor Ruth Hubbard the doyen of Frailty in Australia and prodigious researcher; and Dr Emily Gordon, who took over my job at PAH to combine with her burgeoning research career.
2. Running the Award Winning Orthogeriatric Service at PAH in the two years before my retirement.
3. Becoming a life member of the ANZSGM, on retirement in 2018 as well as my appointment as Emeritus Physician in Geriatric Medicine , PAH on retirement.
4. Being on the organising committee for the ASM, ANZSGM 2023 and organising and chairing the (by all accounts) successful lunchtime symposium The Arts : Ageing, Health and Well being.
5. Being able to survive in marriage, as well as support my husband in his career and my three successful professional non-doctor children and their partners and now four grandchildren with a major childcare commitment – no childcare for my granddaughters. My family is my everything now with no formal career to focus my attention.

What was it like starting out in your field as one of the few women and what were the challenges?
I was used to achieving in a male dominated profession, in my University of Queensland graduation year in 1972 there were 20 per cent women. But this has certainly been addressed over the years and geriatric medicine now has one of the highest female representations. I have to admit I never suffered any #metoo moments in my career, possibly testifying to the integrity of my geriatric male colleagues and to my determination to be the best geriatrician I could be and offer mentoring and support of numerous trainees over my 38 year career.

How have you seen the specialty developed over the years?
Years have seen the service developments of geriatric medicine, such as orthogeriatric services, collaboration with the emergency medicine, perioperative care, memory clinics, the Dementia and Frailty networks and telehealth, as well as the rise of private geriatric medicine. Geriatric medicine has developed a political voice through the National Aged Care Alliance, to which I was the ANZSGM rep for a number of years, spokespersons to the Royal Commission on Aged care and to the issue of Voluntary Assisted Dying.

Tell us about your interest in choral music and its connection to healthy ageing and mental health.
My major long term interest and passion  has been the arts including music and in particular choral singing, since high school years. My active participation in The Brisbane Chorale has been a constant joy, and has sustained me over the years and been pivotal in supporting some mental health issues. Singing in my view, is the most powerful form of mindfulness. There is growing recognition and evidence base for music and choral singing in optimising healthy ageing and well-being, as well as in the young, including indigenous youth; depression and anxiety, chronic pain and of course Parkinson’s and Dementia. I was immensely proud of the ANZSGM ASM 2023 delegates in raising just over $4000 in the raffle of the beautiful Debra Hood print. I was even more proud to hand the donation to Melissa Gill, choral director of Sing Sing Sing for Dementia Choir, the first in Queensland, based here in Brisbane and with over 60 members now. I am continually inspired by stories in this group of people and the powerful effect of social connectedness and belonging inherent in being a member of a choir, which adds to the neurocognitive and neurochemical effects of the choral singing itself.  This is where I spend every Tuesday morning as a volunteer, receiving my own selfish dose of endorphins. My family are active orchestral and choral musicians, although not their primary professions, of whom I am immensely proud.

Photo courtesy: Glenise Berry
Glenise surrounded by her family in Brisbane

Travel Journal: Vasi Naganathan

Having enjoyed our face-to-face scientific meeting in Brisbane I decided to go for a bit of a wander and the following week I attended the British Geriatrics Society Spring Meeting in Edinburgh. I have heard a lot about the BGS meeting and am aware of many of our members having a connection with Geriatric Medicine in Britain. The meeting was fantastic with a similar vibe to our meeting – geriatricians are nice wherever they are! There were a smaller number of people than our meeting in Brisbane, possible because they run a live hybrid meeting and the BGS meeting occurs twice a year.

From an ANZSGM point of view, attending the meeting gave us lots to think about. The BGS is very active in trying to influence health policy and advocate for better health care for older people. For example, their leadership team attend the national conferences of the major political parties! We plan to exchange ideas with them about their approach to advocacy. Community services seem well developed there but BGS policy people told me their next big challenge is to advocate for more hospital based Geriatric Medicine rehabilitation services. The BGS has a truly multidisciplinary membership, unlike us (the pros and cons of this are something for us to keep thinking about). Workforce challenges were discussed as well as  alternative training pathways for Geriatricians (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration) and widening the scope of practice of all health professionals (advanced care professional) as a way of meeting this challenge. The loss of doctors and nurses to Australia and New Zealand was also mentioned often  and I felt the urge to stand up and offer my sincere apologies for this!

There were clinically orientated sessions particular around perioperative medicine, cardiovascular disease and dementia. As many of you know there are no fundamental differences in how patients are assessed and managed. In addition, it was interesting to hear about local innovative models of care especially about models of care to look after people at home instead of in hospital.

I enjoyed hearing about the BGS views on undergraduate curriculum in Geriatric Medicine and about the 18 week clerkship called “Complex Medicine in Older people” at Bristol Medical School. With regards to advanced training, they have updated their curriculum recently and there are lots of similarities with our own updated curriculum. At the ground level, there seemed to be some un-happiness with the practicalities of concurrently training in general internal medicine. Several trainees and consultants talked about how trainees being pulled away to do general medical registrar duties was getting in the way of geriatric medicine training.

Finally, you will all be pleased to know that I did ANZSGM proud by attempting Scottish dancing at the BGS dinner (not in a kilt, utterly hopeless but fortunately no photographic or video evidence).

I few weeks ago I attended the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Asia/Oceania Regional Congress in Yokohama, Japan. Like the IAGG world congress it is held every four years and  includes many concurrent sessions on a variety of topics. IAGG meetings are interesting if you like hearing about more than just clinical Geriatric Medicine. There are sessions on everything from basic science of ageing to age discrimination. I heard about Integrated Dementia Care Centres (IDCC) and Support Centres for People with Dementia and their families (SPDF) in Taiwan. Government funded and as much services as possible under the “one roof”. An impressive array of services and support are provided for people after the diagnosis of Dementia. The multidisciplinary team of the IDCC I heard about even had a lawyer to help people with legal matters that may arise.

It was interesting to hear about the challenges Japan faces as a ‘super-aged’ society with 29 per cent of the population aged 65 and over. There were several sessions about the potential value of technology, AI and robots to help in the care of older people. There were also discussions on the fundamental question of whether there need to be changes to current policies about foreign Care workers in Japan and the problem of high worker turnover and staff shortages in long term care facilities (just like us).

I learnt a bit about Geriatric Medicine Services in Malaysia, China, Philippines, Korea and Japan and was inspired by a conversations with a geriatrician of Nepalese background now based in China who has lived and trained in Nanjing (MBBS), Beijing (Geriatrics MD and PhD), Toulouse in France (Fellow in Geriatrics) and John Hopkins (Postdoc). Finally, for those of you who need inspiration to exercise more, an article about the Japan over-80’s football league.

Survey Invitation: Knowledge, experiences, and practices in relation to elder abuse – A national survey of General Practitioners, Geriatricians and Nurse Practitioners

1 in 6 older Australians reported experiencing abuse in the past 12 months.

As a front-line health care provider for older adults, you are uniquely placed to detect changes in your patients’ circumstances and identify potential threats to their safety. We invite you to complete a short survey about elder abuse to help with research led by my team at the University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, and University of Technology Sydney.

You are eligible to participate if you are a Geriatrician currently working in a public or private community-based setting and your caseload includes older people aged 65+ years.  

The online survey should take no more than 12 minutes to complete. You will receive a $100 Gift Card as a token of appreciation for your time.  

You do not need any special knowledge about elder abuse to complete the survey. More detailed information about the research is provided in the Participant Information Statement.

This LINK will take you to the survey

Thank you very much for your help. If you would like to discuss what is involved in more detail before deciding whether to participate, please contact Dr Jamie Bryant on (02) 4042 0709 or by email on Jamie.Bryant@newcastle.edu.au.

AJA Volume 42, Issue 2, June 2023

The July issue of the Australasian Journal of Ageing has as its key focus Equity and Inclusion with Editorials from both Mark Hughes – Promoting Equity and Inclusion and Ngaire Kerse – Equity in ageing: Perspectives. 

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was damning of the system. Edward Strivens and Christine Stirling in their Invited Editorial consider whether the Royal Commission has finally found solution or just created new problems, while Rosalie Hudson considers the role of palliative care.  

Four research articles focus on work with Aboriginal people:    Aboriginal community-controlled art centres: Keeping Elders strong and connected. Articulating an ontologically situated, intergenerational model of care and Validation of the Good Spirit, Good Life quality-of-life tool for older Aboriginal Australians; Telephone cognitive screening with older Aboriginal Australians: A preliminary study; and, Assessing pain using facial recognition software among Aboriginal aged care residents with cognitive impairment: A retrospective cohort study. Alongside these, there is an exploration of the disparities in location and socioeconomics of an ageing Australian society; the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on older people in Thailand; experiences of clients and families in residential aged care; non-compliance notices and sanctions in RACFs; confidence of nursing and care staff in residential aged care; the use of digital health modalities; diabetes self-management; and the role of public transport.  

This month we also have a poem called The Parachute, The Parachute comes from Holland-Batt’s poetry volume The Jaguar, a brilliant and graphic account of her father’s Parkinson’s disease. It is told from the family’s perspective and is recommended reading for carers and clinicians in Aged Care which recently won the Stella Prize. You can read more about the book here.  

The complete Table of Contents and all articles can be accessed here. 

We hope you enjoy exploring this issue.  

Job Alerts

Specialist Geriatrician
Permanent Full time
Dunedin Hospital, New Zealand
Application: Via website
Closing date: 21/07/23
Position Description
Position Reference number:
Contact: Agatha Chen, Recruitment Advisor via +64 3 470 9604 or agatha.chen@southerndhb.govt.nz
Listed: 23/06/2023

Staff Specialist – Geriatric Medicine
Fixed term part-time and full-time day work (with on-call) positions available
Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmania
Application: Via website
Closing date: 13/07/23
Position Description
Position Reference number:
Contact: Dr Andrea Lees via 03 6166 7893 or andrea.lees@ths.tas.gov.au 
Listed: 15/06/2023

Consultant Geriatrician
Full-time
Southland, New Zealand
Application: Via website
Closing date: 30/06/23
Position Description
Position Reference number: SOUT07236
Contact: Agatha Chen – agatha.chen@southerndhb.govt.nz
Listed: 9/06/2023