Ageing issues under the spotlight

Relationships can be just as important as diet and exercise in maintaining the health of older people, according to UQ researcher Professor Helen Bartlett.

Speaking at the launch of the new Australasian Centre on Ageing in Brisbane today as part of Seniors Week, Professor Bartlett said mental health and social relationships are sometimes overlooked as key health indicators of older adults.

“Research is showing that healthy ageing is not only about physical fitness and good nutrition, but also about getting the most out of life – and that means maintaining and developing good relationships,” she said.

Professor Bartlett is the Foundation Director of the Australasian Centre on Ageing, which is based at The University of Queensland.

“Operating across all disciplines, the centre draws on a range of expertise in areas such as physiotherapy, human movement studies, psychology, medicine, financial management, law, town planning and social work, ” she said.

“It is a collaborative research initiative by The University of Queensland and the Seniors Interests Unit, Queensland Department of Families.

The Centre provides an umbrella for more than 100 research projects in progress or recently completed by University staff. The Centre itself has a multi-disciplinary team of 12 staff and doctoral students.

Examples of the projects being carried out under the umbrella of the centre include;

• Accreditation of residential aged-care facilities;
• Prevention of suicide among older men;
• Social isolation and older people;
• Communication in nursing homes;
• Promoting “age-friendliness”; and
• Linking ageing research and the policy agenda.

The Centre was officially launched today by public health advocate Ita Buttrose.

Media: for more information please contact Peter McCutcheon at UQ Communications (tel. 07 3365 1088 or 0413 380012)