Prof Tony Broe and Dr Kylie Radford have initiated the Koori Active and Healthy Ageing Project, which identifies causes of decline, promotes vitality and supports communities. Specifically, the project examines how to implement evidence-based healthy brain ageing (dementia prevention) programs in urban and regional Aboriginal communities.

It looks at dementia causes, prevention and care in Indigenous Australians, but will also be transferable to mainstream questions about the inter-relationships between head injury, stroke or vascular brain pathology, and amyloid deposition with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias – the common types of dementia found in all populations worldwide.

Dementia is a growing concern and burden on communities for Aboriginal Australians. This research will develop effective, culturally appropriate, and accessible strategies to promote healthy ageing and prevent dementia in Aboriginal communities. It will also investigate better ways to assess memory and thinking in this population, in order to identify changes as early as possible for enhanced dementia research and treatment prospects.