An overview of the Australasian Journal on Ageing

June Issue: Volume 36 (2)

[Image: R.I. Pienaar]

The Australasian Journal on Ageing (AJA) aims to provide articles of interest to all in its multidisciplinary audience, drawn from the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG), Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM), Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) and COTA Australia, in addition to the broader global gerontology community. The June issue certainly delivers evidence on a wide range of topics.

The issue contains two special features:

  • Ageism
  • Indigenous Ageing Research

The papers on ageism were first delivered at the 49th Australian Association of Gerontology Conference in Canberra last November, as part of the President’s Plenary Symposium. Their publication in this issue enables our readers to follow up on the details of the research outlined on that occasion, conducted by colleagues affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR).

The Indigenous Ageing Research feature contains papers from both Australia and New Zealand reflecting on issues and innovations applicable to their respective Indigenous communities. For example, Valerie Wright-St Clair and colleagues present a review of factors associated with loneliness and social isolation.

We also hear from Paul Cann, the AAG’s 2016 Gary Andrews International Fellow, about cultural commissioning and social prescribing within his article on the role of arts and cultural activity in the promotion of health and wellbeing. And from Neylon, Bulsara and Hill on the effectiveness of environment assessment tools to guide refurbishment of Australian residential aged care facilities: A systematic review.

There are papers on a range of clinical topics, ranging from screening for malnutrition in hospitals and a delirium program, through to a brief report on a peer education program to improve skin health. There is food for thought for policy and planning, with a prospective study of older workers, an exploration of transitions to and from residential aged care and use of Aged Care Funding Instrument data to describe the burden of disease in the Australian residential aged care population.

We hope that you find this issue useful in guiding your work and look forward to receiving contributions from you.

[Source: Jane Sims, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, AJA]