CFI partners with COTA SA to explore the importance of care across the lifespan

The Flinders Caring Futures Institute has partnered with the Council on the Ageing SA (COTA SA) to present a webinar focusing on the importance of care and caring from birth to death.

The webinar, Caring Life Course Theory: caring for self and others, will be held on Monday 18 October and will highlight the fundamental care needs of people at all stages of life and the importance and value of caring for others and self.

With the Caring Futures Institute dedicated to the study of self-care and caring solutions across the lifespan, the activity of the Institute complements the COTA SA purpose to advance the rights, interests and futures of Australians as we age.

COTA SA is an older people’s movement and the peak body representing more than 633,000 older South Australians aged over 50.

The development of the Caring Life Course Theory was led by Caring Futures Institute Foundation Director Professor Alison Kitson in collaboration with fellow researchers at the Institute.

The theory was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing and offers a lifespan approach to healthcare that aims to capture a persons’ relationships and experiences throughout their life, rather than at one specific point in time.

Join the webinar from 2pm (ACDT) to learn more about current research to increase our quality of life as we age and frameworks to advance the need and perception of caring.

Register now.

Meet the Speakers

Jane Mussared – Chief Executive, COTA SA

Since early 2015 Jane Mussared has been the Chief Executive of COTA SA, an organisation promoting the rights, needs and aspirations of older South Australians. Jane was previously the executive responsible for People and Innovation with an aged care provider and before that the Manager of the State Government Office for the Ageing. Jane is also on the Board of the Maggie Beer Foundation and the Chair of the SA Circus Centre. She is a past Winner of the SA Innovation Award in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards. Jane has a Masters’ Degree in Social Work (majoring in social policy and research) from the University of Michigan.

Dr Michael LawlessThe Caring Life Course Theory: making the invisible visible

Michael is a Research Fellow in the Flinders Caring Futures Institute where he is part of the Knowledge Translation and Fundamentals of Care Team. Since 2017, Michael has been a research officer with the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Frailty and Healthy Ageing. He uses an interdisciplinary approach in his research, bringing together co-design, qualitative, and mixed methods research approaches to understand and improve older adults’ health and wellbeing.

Dr Anita De BellisInnovative care models: grey nomads and community pharmacy project

Anita is a Senior lecturer at Flinders University and has extensive experience in nursing practice, education and research. She has worked in the acute, community and aged care sectors. Since becoming a nurse academic, the focus of her teaching and research has been in aged care and nursing practice across sectors especially in areas of dementia care and end of life care. Currently Anita’s research focusses on grey nomads with diabetes and their self-management, as well as intergenerational programs in residential aged care.

Morgan PankhurstCaring for others: treats are a tool of the trade

Morgan is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Associate Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Flinders University. Over the past few years she has been involved in research into food service satisfaction in aged care homes and she is passionate about improving the dining experience for aged care residents. Morgan began working with the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2018 to support their Create an Appetite for Life workshops which aim to upskill cooks and chefs working in aged care.

Nicky BakerCaring for self – black hole of middle age

Nicky is a Physiotherapist and PhD candidate supervised by Professor Sue Gordon. Nicky’s research explores the relationship between postural sway and near falls in middle-aged and young-older adults. Informed by over 30 years of clinical physiotherapy experience, her investigation is stimulated by understanding the covert changes in health and wellbeing during middle age. These changes contribute to the broader understanding of pre-frailty and provide an opportunity to manage and mitigate risk of falls. Nicky is passionate about healthy ageing and using digital technology to enhance active ageing. She is a member of the Australian Association of Gerontology and the Australasian Institute of Digital Health.

Prof Rebecca Golley – Deputy Director, Flinders Caring Futures Institute, and Q&A Facilitator.

Rebecca is the Deputy Director and Better Lives theme lead at the Caring Futures Institute. Rebecca leads a program of applied research focusing on supporting caregivers in their role of feeding children. Examples of her research include Early Obesity Prevention (www.earlychildhoodobesity.com) and nutrition promotion (www.vegkit.com.au).

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