News Archive

NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR
Our last seminar on Ageing was a wonderful example of what we try to do in Integrated Human Studies: combine the wisdom of academia with cultural insights and practical knowledge. It was a fitting end to a series which has given us much to think about.  Next year the seminars will focus on some of the large global challenges facing humans this century.  We aim to draw on up-to-date academic knowledge from this campus and others.

If you can’t wait till 2010, then see below for details of a free public lecture by distinguished academic Professor Richard Hobbs on October 21. Note that you must RSVP to attend.

And if you missed the seminar on Music at the beginning of our second semester series, then you have another opportunity to gain a deep insight into the relationship between music and human wellbeing when Professor Alan Harvey gives a seminar on October 27.  See below for details.
Professor Neville Bruce
Director, Centre for Integrated Human Studies

NOTES FROM THE LAST SEMINAR, CARING FOR AN AGEING POPULATION
Professor Matthew Tonts , a geographer, chaired, and opened by saying his interest in rural demography gave him a particular perspective on the topic of ageing.  He said ageing was often presented as an “issue” but he felt it could also be viewed as a triumph.

Professor Leon Flicker , the inaugural professor of geriatric medicine at UWA, presented a snapshot of ageing supported by statistics, and showed that the picture was not as gloomy as economists and journalists painted it. The government issues “Intergenerational reports” – the third has just been delivered – and these often contain projections upon which ruin is forecast.  But projections are based on the current situation, and trends may vary.  The birth rate, for example, has increased, as has workforce participation, so the pessimistic picture of a huge retired population supported by few workers may change.

However, we are living longer than expected five years ago – life expectancy has been increasing steadily this century – and less immigration means more ageing in the population (as migrants typically swell numbers in younger age groups, and have children). The fastest growing section of the population is people in their eighties and older.  Health policies need to respond to the growing incidence of dementia as a cause of disability and death.

The change from residential aged care to home care for the aged has satisfied both the government’s desire for economy and people’s wishes not to go into care. Leon revealed a fact little recognised by younger people: older people are not so different from them! Sexual activity, for example, occurs throughout life, and is perceived as important.  Although disability rates do increase with age, the vast majority of people over 70 years are not disabled.  The task for our ageing community is to manage frailty.

Faye Bastow , a physiotherapist working privately in sports physiotherapy and in aged care, pointed out that many “baby boomers” are in the “sandwich generation”, that is, they still have dependant children, and are also caring for aged relatives.  She felt that work-life balance and work flexibility needed to take this into account.

For many people, moving an aged parent into residential care constitutes a huge crisis – often precipitated by a fall – for which they are not prepared.  Faye described the practical steps that can be taken before a crisis is reached.  The first step is to request (through a GP) an ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) assessment. The ACA Team conducts various tests to assess a person’s capacity to live independently at home, and delivers a recommendation based on the results.  Depending on the recommendation, the aged person may be able to stay at home with various levels of assistance provided, and put their name down for residential care placement when their need increases.  Respite care is also available so carers can take a break. Faye said information about aged care was available through a number of agencies listed on the “Age Page” on page 5 of the Business and Government White Pages.

The chances of staying out of residential care can be increased by avoiding falls. The Injury Control Council of WA promotes a “Stay on Your Feet” campaign that lists practical strategies – such as wearing appropriate shoes, getting vision checks, and exercising to maintain balance – to mitigate risk.  It also has a program of Mall Walking Groups that provides safe indoor exercise for seniors.  Tai chi is also good exercise for older people.

Brain health is important too, and mental exercise is as useful as physical exercise for maintaining health.  Incontinence could also precipitate a move to care, as urgency or needing to get up in the night could increase the risk of falls.  Faye stressed that there was good treatment for incontinence and people should not think of it as a normal part of ageing.  The newspapers Have a Go and The Senior are freely available and good sources of information for people approaching old age.

Jenny Davis , an actor, director, writer and producer, said she was lucky enough to have had relatives with a variety of fascinating backgrounds who were also wonderful raconteurs. A Polish cutter at her father’s gentleman’s outfitter’s shop in London would tell her stories of his experiences in Auschwitz – she heard both of the horror and of the hope. Jenny developed a huge respect for the spirit of people who had experienced war and privation; she wonders now whether our generation will be as wise after our comfortable lives.

Jenny missed the chance to record her father’s stories before he died, but developed a love for oral history and in 1993 founded Agelink Theatre, in which she uses seniors’ memories as a resource for the creation of dramatic works. The process begins with Reminiscence Workshops, where artefacts such as clothing or theatre programs are used to prompt informal conversations with groups of older people.  Jenny takes notes and then interviews people in depth.  A play might develop from a particular topic or event, with material drawn from interviews with as many as 30 people. The resulting shows tour to places where people might not get the chance to attend a theatre:  libraries, community centres, or church halls. Jenny has found that few nursing homes have entertainment budgets.

Jenny described some of her works: “A Pocketful of Memories”, which used the tales of people in the Kalgoorlie area; “Here to Stay” which was about migrants; and “Dear Heart” which drew on her aunt’s letters to her husband who was a prisoner of war in Java in WWII. She felt that we make sense of our own lives by listening to other people’s stories, and that we can learn much from their experiences. Oral histories also contribute to our sense of place and time.  She hopes that, for her, old age will bring a broadening of the picture, a new curiosity and a tolerant approach to life, and she believes that a healthy society encourages elders to continue to contribute.

Questions and comments included:

• Aged people in homes are often sat in front of televisions.
• 50% of lifetime health care costs occur in the last year of life.
• Old people don’t fear dying, they fear disability and dependence.
• What is the future for retirement villages after their recent proliferation?
• Is mental, physical or spiritual wellbeing the most important thing for old people?
• People in hostels and nursing homes are now very frail compared with old people still living in their own homes.
• The experience of ageing in, say, Marble Bar would be different from that in Nedlands.

FREE PUBLIC LECTURE OCTOBER 21: Defying Hanrahan – Yes we can!
Runaway climate change, species loss, ecosystem collapse – these predictions for the future are so dire that many people believe nothing can be done to prevent ruination.  But Australian Laureate Professor Richard Hobbs from The University of Western Australia argues that we are not doomed, and there is room for optimism.

I n his lecture Questioning Hanrahan:  Environmental Optimism and Realism in the 21st Century , Professor Hobbs refers to the classic Australian bush poem by John O'Brien (1878 – 1952).  No matter whether Hanrahan's community battled drought, floods or bushfires, the old farmer was gloomy about the future: "We'll all be rooned!"

One of 15 Australian Laureates chosen from a highly competitive field of national and international researchers at the peak of their careers, Richard Hobbs is Professor of Restoration Ecology in UWA's School of Plant Biology.  He leads the Ecosystem Research Laboratory, a dynamic research group involved in projects such as woodland restoration on Rottnest Island, speeding the return of vertebrates to rehabilitated bauxite mines, and understanding the responses of rare plants to habitat fragmentation. In his lecture, he will outline the many positive steps being taken to repair the environment in Australia and around the world –  efforts amounting to a large counter-current working against negative influences.  He will also urge cleverer and more purposeful interventions and argue that "whether Hanrahan proves to be right or not depends on how we approach environmental challenges now and in the future".
Wednesday, October 21, from 5.30pm, at the University Club Theatre Auditorium UWA (Carpark P3, Hackett Drive Entrance1) RSVP: (+61 8) 6488 1340

SEMINAR: MUSIC, EVOLUTION AND ‘HOMO SAPIENTIOR’ WITH PROFESSOR ALAN HARVEY
In this presentation, Alan will consider why m usic is a universal attribute and ask what, if any, evolutionary significance it had. Why do we have this communication system side-by-side with language, and is music still relevant to the welfare of our species today? In suggesting answers to these intriguing questions, he will take you on a wide-ranging journey encompassing anthropology and archaeology, genetics, neuroscience and behaviour , brain imaging, and modern day neurotherapies. He argues that m usic ( and with it dance) promotes the collective expression and experience of emotions and fosters social cohesion, of critical importance to our early ancestors and still important to our sense of mental wellbeing today.

Alan Harvey was educated at the University of Cambridge before undertaking a PhD at the Australian National University. After working in the USA and at Flinders University he moved to The University of Western Australia in 1984. He is currently Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Anatomy and Human Biology. His main experimental laboratory interests are in neurotrauma, neurodegeneration and neurotherapy, the research primarily focused on the visual system. He is also, however, passionate about music and over the past 35 years or so he has sung in choirs and played many concerts as a solo artist or as a member of various folk or rock bands.  He has the long-term ambition of bringing his neuroscience and musical interests together, intending (still!!) to write a book about the role of music in human evolution and modern-day society.
Tuesday 27 October, 2009 at 1.00pm, Room 1.81, Anatomy & Human Biology Building

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
Please feel free to give us your comments, thoughts or suggestions by emailing Karen on [email protected] .