Staying resilient in later life

New research published by Chinese and Swedish scientists suggests the ability to cope well with and adapt to life’s challenges in older age is linked to a lower risk of dying.

Fear of the future

Fear of ageing is really a fear of the unknown – and modern society is making things worse.

Identifying risky drugs for older people

Australian researchers have developed a list of 16 potentially dangerous medications used in healthcare for older people and suggested a range of safer alternatives.

Are friends electric?

Technology firms have been insisting that virtual reality is the next big thing for a decade with little success, so could targeting the technology at lonely older people succeed where it has so conspicuously failed with gamers, workers and younger generations?

Picturing loneliness in aged care

Gerontology tends to offer a biomedical understanding of growing old but the arts and social sciences can look at cultural dimensions to understand ageing beyond “biological decline”.

Changing the conversation on ageing and aged care

A change in how Australians view ageing could help the nation embrace the opportunities that can come with getting older alongside a franker conversation about the inevitable rise in costs of aged care.

Empowering older workers

Australia must embrace new ideas to empower older employees to find their groove and stay relevant in an ever-changing workplace and can learn from its Asian neighbours such as Malaysia and Singapore.

Homesick for ourselves – the hidden grief of ageing

Old age sets us the challenge of maintaining balance in the present, while managing the remembered past – with all its joys and griefs – and coming to terms with the future.

How long can Australians live?

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) explores trends in Australia’s increasing life expectancy and other measures of longevity such as maximum age of death.

How old are you on the inside?

The biological age of a person’s brain and body could be routinely measured in the doctor’s clinic to identify people at risk of chronic disease and enable early lifestyle adjustments and medications.

Staying connected

Social interaction doesn’t just make us happy, it helps to slow down the ageing of the brain according to a new study by the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at UNSW Sydney.

Always look on the bright side of life

While our mental performance does decline as we age, psychologists have found that older people are better at keeping a positive attitude in stressful conditions.