Special Interest Group - Aged care, ageing and dementia

The SIG will focus on topics related to aged care, ageing, cognitive decline/ dementia as well as loneliness and social isolation in old age. Methods include but are not limited to health technology assessment, applied economics, analysis of linked data (administrative and survey data), policy evaluation, discrete choice experiments and clinical trials.

The SIG aims to bring together researchers and advocates who are interested in topics related to aged care, ageing and dementia in Australia and worldwide. The SIG will be a place to form collaborations, share the latest policy changes and research, and hear from experts in the field. The objective is to build research capacity, extend research, and influence policy.

Expected activities for the next 12 months include:

  • Establishment of regular meetings among members in which funding opportunities, research and policy changes will be discussed; collaborations may be formed; and guest presenters will discuss their latest research.
  • Establishment of an “Aged care, ageing and dementia SIG Expert list”
  • Organization of a 1.5 Day conference – potentially in March, together with CEPAR
  • Identifying and reaching out to groups we want to build a relationship with, e.g.:
    1. Consumer groups
    2. COTA
    3. Dementia Australia
    4. NARI MARC
    5. Department of Health (seminar series)
    6. AAG
  • Establishment of a Journal Club
  • Establishment of a Journal list

If you would like to join the SIG, please email the conveners:

Henry Cutler at henry.cutler@mq.edu.au

Sabrina Lenzen at s.lenzen@uq.edu.au

Conveners

Henry Cutler
Henry Cutler
Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University

Professor Henry Cutler is the inaugural director of the Centre for the Health Economy at Macquarie University (MUCHE), currently leading a team of 14 health economics researchers, three PhD students and support staff. He is an applied health economist with extensive skills in evaluating real world problems, having undertaken a consulting role to government and non-government organisations for 15 years. His work uses a variety of quantitative techniques, including economic evaluation, data analytics, choice modelling, panel data econometrics, Markov modelling, decision tree analysis, geospatial mapping, and survey design and implementation.

Sabrina Lenzen
Sabrina Lenzen
The University of Queensland

Dr Sabrina Lenzen is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health at The University of Queensland. Her expertise is in the economics of health and ageing, with a special focus on dementia and cognitive decline. Sabrina is passionate about improving the lives of older people by studying new health needs in older populations to plan for future healthcare requirements. This research also involves analysing the impact of lifestyle factors on health and wellbeing.