Blog: The Brain Dialogues, filtered by tag: Community

By Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO Co-Director Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney and Director, Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration Having been a professor of ageing and mental health for over 30 years, I know intimately how costly it is to find and screen research participants. A lack of participants can result in drug trials being shut down. As a researcher, my passion is to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia and better ways to help people with dementia and their families. Without appropriate participants, or a large enough sample of… Read More

PROFESSOR PERMINDER SACHDEV AM | p.sachdev@unsw.edu.au For the more than 700 million people in the world aged over 65, often considered ‘old’ in our society, 2020 has been a landmark year. The misery wrought by the pandemic has preferentially targeted this age group, with those over 70 being five times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population [1]. In countries with uncontrolled infections, older persons have faced discrimination in decisions relating to triage and life-saving interventions. The poor state of our aged care homes was highlighted by the fact that about four… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au In 1945 when Australians were celebrating the end of the Second World War, a baby girl was born west of Sydney, in Granville. Her parents named her Jean.   65 years later and with three loving sons, seven grandchildren and more than 50 years of a strong and happy marriage to husband Len Nesbitt, Jean was diagnosed with vascular dementia – the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.  On Friday, 11 September, just over 10 years since she was first diagnosed, Jean’s family said their loving goodbyes at a beautiful memorial held… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au “Brain age” is an emerging hot research topic in brain ageing research. Brain age refers to an estimate of “how old a person’s brain is biologically”, representing actual brain health status. For example, a person aged 80 years old may have a healthier brain and more intact brain structures relative to his/her age. In this case, a younger brain age of, for example, 70 will be assigned. By doing so, one can assess the brain’s health relative to chronological age. Research can also be conducted by examining the protective factors in the individuals with… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Photo credit Brendan Esposito, ABC   Along with 6,000 other Australians, 77-year-old Paddy Goldsmith is playing a vital role in changing the future of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through her participation in the Maintain Your Brain research trial. Led by the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney, Maintain Your Brain is the world’s largest internet-based trial aimed at preventing dementia. My motivation to be involved in research came after losing two friends to dementia; one of whom was especially dear to me, says… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Aspiring Year 10 students from schools across New South Wales have been given a taste of research life in CHeBA’s Brain & Ageing Research Laboratory. Matthew Wong, together with Leader of the Brain & Ageing Research Laboratory – Dr Nady Braidy, and fellow CHeBA PhD students Yue Liu, Marina Ulanova and Gurjeet Kaur hosted up to six high school students across two separate days in November. The sessions, led by Mr Wong, introduced CHeBA's team and research vision and objectives, while highlighting the need to identify biomarkers to facilitate… Read More

This article was originally published in Montefiore LIFE, Rosh Hashana 2019. Discover more about the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) UNSW's Sydney Centenarian Study, which includes many Montefiore residents. Every year, the likelihood of living to 100 and beyond increases. The possibility of achieving this exceptional age is on the one hand exciting – after all, throughout history, humankind has been intrigued by the fountain of youth concept. However, longevity can come with significant challenges. The Sydney Centenarian Study led by the UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Multigenerational giving provides meaningful opportunities to bring family members together to support common causes, give back to communities, and create lasting change; a concept that is well understood by the Mostyn family in Sydney. Three generations of the Mostyn family work collectively to provide funding support for valuable projects, while modelling social values to younger generations and raising awareness of community needs. The Mostyn Family Foundation was founded by Bob Mostyn in 2011 with support of his sons Richard, Andrew and Robert… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Senior executives from Australia’s property industry are spending the next month increasing their physical activity in the lead up to the tenth Wipeout Dementia; a surf off contest at Bondi Beach which raises funds for dementia research at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).  45 surfers across five teams (listed below) will compete in this year’s property industry event alongside Wipeout Dementia Ambassador and 1978 World Surfing Champion Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew AM, with the first ever Battle Royale occurring at the end of the Surf Off. … Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au This week at CHeBA we are Team Dr Claire Burley; an adventure-addicted scientist who is passionate about raising awareness of dementia and other brain health related conditions. At midday on Saturday, 8th June, Dr Burley will begin 24 hours of pushing her body to extreme limits in the OCRWC Enduro (Obstacle Course Racing World Championships) in Sydney, Australia. Her goal with this event is to raise money for CHeBA while promoting evidence-based awareness that physical activity has a direct and positive impact on brain health. “I have several… Read More