Dr Ranmalee Eramudugolla

MemTech

For many older adults, driving is essential for independence and participation in life.  However, ageing is associated with a range of physical, sensory, and cognitive changes, some of which can influence driving safety. Neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia can progress very gradually, and regular monitoring is required to identify the point at which driving becomes unsafe. Current methods of monitoring road safety for older drivers relies on regular reviews with doctors or expensive and stressful driving tests. These methods are resource intensive and inefficient. Thus, there is a need for more cost-effective and less invasive ways of monitoring road safety for older drivers. The Changing Memory, Technology and Driving study (MemTech) will investigate whether a dashboard camera and a GPS data logger can be used to accurately measure changes in safety during an older driver’s everyday driving trips. The study will involve older drivers who are experiencing changes in their thinking and memory or early stages of dementia, as well as older drivers without any cognitive difficulties. This will allow data to be compared across the two groups to determine whether the in-vehicle GPS devices can detect changes in driver safety associated with cognitive change. If it can, this will provide valuable research data for the future development of accurate in-vehicle monitoring systems for older driver safety.

This research is being funded by the Office of Road Safety.

If you would like to take part in this research study, please contact

Ms Abirami Raveendran

Phone: (02) 9399 1058

Email: memtech@neura.edu.au

MyCOACH: Connected Advice for Cognitive Health

What is the MyCOACH Trial about?

This research aims to test the effectiveness of an e-learning and behaviour change course designed to support healthy brain ageing and reduce risk of dementia. The course is tailored for people experiencing changes or concerns in thinking, memory or cognition.  The trial runs for 12 weeks, with a follow up 1 year afterwards.

What is involved in this research trial?

Interested volunteers will be asked to complete some eligibility checks to confirm this study is a good match. If you decide to take part you would be placed into one of two groups. To ensure the research is fair and unbiased, the group is chosen randomly – like pulling names from a hat.

• MyCOACH e-learning group: Participants take part in the 12 week online MyCOACH program. This includes e- learning, consultations with a dietician and/or exercise physiologist, and subscription to a brain training app.

• Control group: Participants will receive information about cognitive health and risk factors for dementia. This group is important to be able to measure the effectiveness of the research. At the end of the study, access to the full MyCOACH e-learning course will be provided.

• All participants take part in a few telephone interviews throughout the study with questions about your health. This includes a follow-up at the end of the 12 week period, and 1 year later.

You may be eligible to participate in the MyCOACH Trial if you:

• Have concerns about changes in your memory or thinking OR diagnosed with ‘Mild Cognitive Impairment’
• Are 65 years of age or older

Expressions of interest

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please register below or contact us directly.

Research Team Contact 

Dinaz Parekh

Email: mycoach@neura.edu.au

Phone: (02) 9399 1815

The Auditory Ageing Study (AUDACIOUS)

Can you hear our call?!  Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and The University of New South Wales are studying how adults experience declines in their hearing, how this interferes with communication and their day-to-day lives.

What is the purpose of this study?

To investigate the relationship between age-related hearing decline and cognitive abilities in older adults.

What does the study involve?

If you are interested in this study you will be invited to our study site at NeuRA in Randwick to complete a two-hour interview.

The interview will include test of your hearing and cognitive functioning including app-based activities testing memory, learning and attention. You will also be asked to complete a questionnaire about your general health, hearing and daily lifestyle.

Who can volunteer?

You may be eligible to participate on our research if

• You are 65 years of age or older
• Are able to make your own way to our interview site at NeuRA in Randwick
• You have not experienced lifelong hearing difficulties
• You do not need to have hearing difficulties to participate in this study.

Will I be reimbursed?

Your participation in the study is totally voluntary. You will be reimbursed $30.00 for participating in the study.

Contact

If you would like to take part in this research study please contact

Ms Milena Spoa

Phone: (02) 9399 1636

Email: audacious@neura.edu.au

Or register your interest and we will be in contact with you shortly:

Chief Investigator: Dr Kim Kiely

Phone: (02) 9399 1154

Email: k.kiely@neura.edu.au

Funding

The project is funded by the Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF)

Ethical approval

This study has been approved by the UNSW Human Research Ethics Committee.

HREC number: HC190216

The Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project 

The Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project is co-hosted by the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales and has been led by Professor Anstey since 2006. It is a large on-going population-based longitudinal cohort study comprising approximately 7500 participants. The study includes three cohorts including a younger (aged 20–24 at baseline), midlife (aged 40–44 at baseline) and older (aged 60–64 at baseline) adults randomly sampled from the electoral roll of the ACT and the nearby city of Queanbeyan. Additional waves of data collection have occurred in 4-year increments, with the 5^th wave of data collection underway. The study involves many national and international collaborations.

The broad aims of the PATH study relate to clinical outcomes that constitute the major burden of disease within the Australian community.

Primary PATH Objectives:

• To delineate the course of depression, anxiety, substance use and cognitive ability with increasing age across the adult life span
• To identify environmental risk, genetic risk and protective factors influencing individual differences in the course of these characteristics
• To investigate interrelationships over time between the three domains of: depression and anxiety, substance use, and cognitive ability and dementia
• To examine the mental health related impact of various personal, social and lifestyle transitions and events experienced by the different age cohorts, including infertility, fertility and pregnancy, changes in family structure, relationship formation and separation, menopause, and retirement.

Several design features of the PATH project contribute to its unique standing among population-based longitudinal cohort studies.

• Obtaining measures of genetic, biological (including MRI), psychosocial and lifestyle risk and protective factors for mental health and wellbeing
• Use of a narrow age cohort design with longitudinal follow ups as an optimal means of separating age and cohort effects
• Assessment of participants across the full adult lifespan, permitting investigation of developmentally significant, though under-studied periods such as midlife
• Recruitment and follow up of a young-old population, providing important pre-clinical data for studying the development of age-related changes in memory and cognition.

This project has been funded primarily by the National Health and Medical Research Council. Wave 5 40s and 60s follow-ups (led by Professor Kaarin Anstey) are funded by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. 

For more information, please visit the study website at www.pathstudy.org.au. PATH participants can also contact the research team by phone on 1300 917 295.

The Driving, Ageing, Safety and Health (DASH) project

Older adults represent a growing sector of the driving population in Australia, and while driving can be important for maintaining social engagement in late life, age-related changes such as cognitive and visual impairment can impact on driving safety.

The Driving, Ageing, Safety and Health (DASH) project is designed to develop and validate screening measures for older drivers to support determinations of driving safety. The DASH project is a collaboration with Joanne Wood and the Queensland University of Technology.

Over 550 older drivers, across three groups, were followed for two years to evaluate how well laboratory assessments and an on-road test predict driving outcomes. The three groups included a) older drivers referred for assessment by GPs and Road Safety Authorities, b) older drivers with eye disease and c) older drivers drawn from the community.

Primary Aims:

• To validate a short screening battery for older drivers called the Multi-D based on the Multifactorial Model of Driving Safety, a theoretical model of the abilities involved in safe driving and knowledge of age-related changes in cognitive, visual and sensorimotor function
• To compare the Multi-D and existing screening approaches including Hazard Perception, Road Rules Knowledge, the Useful Field of View, and the Drivesafe tests to determine whether combining measures improves the accuracy of classification of safe and unsafe drivers.

Secondary Aims:

• To compare the efficacy of the Multi-D and other screening instruments in predicting prospective self-reported crash rates (derived from standardized monthly diaries) between three groups of older drivers
• To evaluate the screening instruments and assessments in relation to mobility outcomes (driving cessation, driving frequency, driving distance) over two years and longer pending further funding
• To collaborate with practitioners to develop clinical practice guidelines for using the Multi-D battery in the context of older driver assessment
• To inform the development and design of interventions to prevent injuries among older drivers.

Findings from this research project will enable health professionals and licensing authorities to assist in their decision-making regarding the fitness to drive of older adults.

DASH is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Better Drive Program

Driving is critical for enabling mobility and community participation in older Australians, with over 90% of those aged in their 70s being licensed drivers. There is an urgent need for evidence-based methods for enhancing and maintaining older drivers’ skills – methods that are ready for translation into cost-effective and practical interventions.

The Better Drive Trial is a three-arm randomised controlled trial that assesses the effectiveness of different driver education types on safety outcomes for older adults. The relative effectiveness of tailored lessons, road-rule workshops and feedback on older drivers on road safety will be assessed in over 384 participants over 2 years. If effective, interventions will improve driving safety, reduce costs associated with crashes, and maintain social participation.

Our multidisciplinary team has expertise in cognitive ageing, psychology, occupational therapy, behaviour change and injury prevention, and proven records of designing and implementing RCTs of behavioural interventions for improving safety in older adults. The outcomes of the project will lead to the development of community programs for older drivers that seek to maintain mobility and community participation.

The Better Drive Trial is funded by the NHMRC and is expected to run for 5 years.