Older people are more likely to experience the death of a loved one than any other age group. However, their bereavement needs are often overlooked. In a nationwide, mixed-methods study, Drs Katrin Gerber and Lidia Engel explored how grief affected older people’s physical and mental health. Using innovative arts-based, qualitative and health-economic methods, this study emphasises the essential role that primary care plays in grief support. Thought-provoking recordings of research poems will illustrate the experiences of bereaved older adults, GPs and practice nurses and challenge the notion that grief has an expiry date.

Dr Katrin Gerber is a mental health and end-of-life research fellow at the National Ageing Research Institute. Katrin has over 15 years of experience in mixed-methods research into end-of-life care, psychology and mental health. Her passion for these fields stems from her personal experience as a hospice volunteer and end-of-life family caregiver.

Dr Lidia Engel is a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University. As a trained health economist, Lidia specialises in the measurement and valuation of quality of life and informal care, as well as undertaking economic evaluations to guide resource allocation decisions in health care

Sleep is a critical need for all beings, overcoming all dangers to fulfill the need.
Poor sleep amounts to billions of lost hours annually in Australia. The difficulties encountered by our patients and their carers with regards to sleep is under recognised. This seminar will review the basic need for sleep, its critical role for functioning and ways to commence gathering information and understanding of sleep in a palliative care setting to improve patient care and quality of life.

Dr Peter Allcroft is a Senior Staff Specialist at Southern Adelaide Palliative Services, based at Flinders Medical Centre. He is trained in respiratory and sleep medicine, with a Masters in Palliative Care from Flinders University, and is currently undertaking a PhD, exploring the unmet palliative care needs of frail older patients with heart failure.

Peter is the Network Co-Lead for the Statewide Palliative Care Clinical Network Steering Committee, which supports the activities of the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health, which aims to create better health care for all South Australians. Peter also serves as Deputy Chair of the Motor Neurone Disease Association of South Australia.

By 2030, the NDIS will support an estimated 859,328 Participants, and approximately 88,180 (10.3%) will enter the Scheme with a primary psychosocial disability (predominantly related to severe and persistent mental illness). However, there appears to have been little consideration about how formal support systems intend to support NDIS Participants that receive life-limiting diagnoses.

Historically, the limited existing research shows that prior to the NDIS, people with psychosocial disabilities experienced stigmatising, siloed, disjointed systems, and substantial gaps in their support. Presenter, Kathy Boschen, will discuss how her research is exploring the systems that support NDIS Participants with primary psychosocial disabilities who receive a life-limiting diagnosis and seeks to understand whether the NDIS creates a more equitable end-of-life experience or further complicates it by simply adding another silo to navigate.

Kathy is currently a PhD student, supervised by representatives from the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University. Kathy also works as a casual academic and research assistant in the Colleges of Education, Psychology and Social Work, and Nursing and Health Sciences. Kathy has previously held roles in the NDIS and the NDIA and has worked in the mental health sector in both government and non-government organisations.

From four-day weeks to unconditional basic income to free education, it’s possible to imagine a future where society’s focus has moved from consumption to quality of life.

Prof. John Quiggin discusses the technological possibilities and the way the experience of the Covid pandemic has changed our thinking.

Hosted by Prof. John Spoehr, Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute this webinar is for anyone interested in automation and the future of work in Australia.

John Quiggin is a Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland. He is a prominent research economist and commentator on Australian and international economic policy.

He has produced over 2000 publications, including seven books and over 300 refereed journal articles, in fields including decision theory, environmental economics and industrial organization.

He is an active contributor to Australian public debate in a wide range of traditional and social media.