Mrs Nancy Russo is the wife of the late Michael Cumming, mother to their son Nelson, and a History, Geography and Society and Culture teacher at Magdalene College, Narellan. In her role as a care partner she became a vocal advocate for her husband as they tried to navigate the health care system post dementia diagnosis. Her mantra is the importance of relationships. Nancy considers it essential for carers to set the care bar high and ensure the dignity of loved ones.

Listen to the poignant journey of Nancy who realised the need for a multi-faceted approach to improve outcomes for people and families walking with dementia.

Mrs Nancy Russo is the wife of the late Michael Cumming, mother to their son Nelson, and a History, Geography and Society and Culture teacher at Magdalene College, Narellan. In her role as a care partner she became a vocal advocate for her husband as they tried to navigate the health care system post dementia diagnosis. Her mantra is the importance of relationships. Nancy considers it essential for carers to set the care bar high and ensure the dignity of loved ones.
Listen to the poignant journey of Nancy who realised the need for a multi-faceted approach to improve outcomes for people and families walking with dementia.

Re-imagining Ageing is a 7 part podcast series sharing real life stories, discussing the latest research and promoting healthy and active ageing into late life.

Join Dr Christina Hagger (Podcast Works Radio Adelaide) and her expert guests as they explore many topics including living well with dementia, rehabilitation and self-efficacy after stroke, nutrition for brain health, exercise and activity, complementary medicines and social engagement.

Re-imagining Ageing is a 7 part podcast series sharing real life stories, discussing the latest research and promoting healthy and active ageing into late life.
Join Dr Christina Hagger (Podcast Works Radio Adelaide) and her expert guests as they explore many topics including living well with dementia, rehabilitation and self-efficacy after stroke, nutrition for brain health, exercise and activity, complementary medicines and social engagement.

Reimagining Ageing

1. Walking With Dementia | Nancy Russo

Associate Professor Tim Windsor is from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. His research interests are concerned with changes in activity engagement, social behaviour, emotion regulation, and cognition that occur during adulthood and ageing and beliefs and sense of purpose that contribute to effective self-regulation and development over the lifespan.
What does it mean to age well? Maximising gains and opportunities and minimising losses. Ageing is not all about loss.
What is strong in your life? How can we connect to like-minded strength people.
The potential for growth in later life while best addressing challenges that arise. Maintaining engagement with life. Activities that give us meaning and purpose.
Retirement period. It’s long and can be full of purpose.
Volunteering. Travel. Hobbies. Finding activities that provide social connection and purpose. Engagement that has meaning to the person. Meaningful social relationships are fundamental to leading a fulfilled life.
Setting goals and engaging with them.
The importance of diverse networks. You have to keep building networks that will help you achieve what you want to achieve.
Links between social engagement and cognition. Connection can lead us into positive health behaviours.

Associate Professor Tim Windsor is from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. His research interests are concerned with changes in activity engagement, social behaviour, emotion regulation, and cognition that occur during adulthood and ageing and beliefs and sense of purpose that contribute to effective self-regulation and development over the lifespan.
<ul>
<li>What does it mean to age well? Maximising gains and opportunities and minimising losses. Ageing is not all about loss.</li>
<li>What is strong in your life? How can we connect to like-minded strength people.</li>
<li>The potential for growth in later life while best addressing challenges that arise. Maintaining engagement with life. Activities that give us meaning and purpose.</li>
<li>Retirement period. It&rsquo;s long and can be full of purpose.</li>
<li>Volunteering. Travel. Hobbies. Finding activities that provide social connection and purpose. Engagement that has meaning to the person. Meaningful social relationships are fundamental to leading a fulfilled life.</li>
<li>Setting goals and engaging with them.</li>
<li>The importance of diverse networks. You have to keep building networks that will help you achieve what you want to achieve.</li>
<li>Links between social engagement and cognition. Connection can lead us into positive health behaviours.</li>
</ul>

7.  What Does It Actually Mean to Age Well? | A/Prof Tim Windsor & Lui Di Venuto

Dr Ashleigh Smith is an emerging research leader whose research is positioned at the nexus of neuroscience, exercise physiology and cognitive ageing. She has held consecutive research fellowships since 2013 and is leading a national interdisciplinary team, which has recently been awarded a Boosting Dementia Research Grant worth $1,2 million. Dr Ashleigh Smith is a member of the Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), whose research vision is to develop targeted and sustainable physical interventions, to improve health, across the lifespan.

Maddison Mellow is a Research Assistant in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA). My research is centred around understanding the acute effects of exercise on neurophysiology (brain connectivity, excitability and plasticity) using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques.
Dementia. What is it? How does it occur? How do we prevent it?
What is the optimal use of time in a 24-hour day in older adults to increase their cognitive function and reduce their dementia risk?
Modifiable and nonmodifiable factors for dementia. 35% are modifiable. Physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking, not enough sleep, poor vascular health, diabetes. The role of physical activity. Exercise is good for the brain. Exercise enhances neuroplasticity. Reduces cognitive decline. Importance across the life span.
Getting people to enjoy exercise and how to fit it into the day. Benefit from 5 minutes a day. The importance of how we use our time across the 24-hour day. What is the best balance for the outcome that is most important for you.
Social engagement, movement, enjoyment. What happened in late life when people start to withdraw from society. How can we improve that ageing experience for everybody so everybody can engage in the way that they wish to you in society.

Dr Ashleigh Smith is an emerging research leader whose research is positioned at the nexus of neuroscience, exercise physiology and cognitive ageing. She has held consecutive research fellowships since 2013 and is leading a national interdisciplinary team, which has recently been awarded a Boosting Dementia Research Grant worth $1,2 million. Dr Ashleigh Smith is a member of the Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), whose research vision is to develop targeted and sustainable physical interventions, to improve health, across the lifespan.
Maddison Mellow is a Research Assistant in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA). My research is centred around understanding the acute effects of exercise on neurophysiology (brain connectivity, excitability and plasticity) using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques.
<ul>
<li>Dementia. What is it? How does it occur? How do we prevent it?</li>
<li>What is the optimal use of time in a 24-hour day in older adults to increase their cognitive function and reduce their dementia risk?</li>
<li>Modifiable and nonmodifiable factors for dementia. 35% are modifiable. Physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking, not enough sleep, poor vascular health, diabetes. The role of physical activity. Exercise is good for the brain. Exercise enhances neuroplasticity. Reduces cognitive decline. Importance across the life span.</li>
<li>Getting people to enjoy exercise and how to fit it into the day. Benefit from 5 minutes a day. The importance of how we use our time across the 24-hour day. What is the best balance for the outcome that is most important for you.</li>
<li>Social engagement, movement, enjoyment. What happened in late life when people start to withdraw from society. How can we improve that ageing experience for everybody so everybody can engage in the way that they wish to you in society.</li>
</ul>

6. Dementia: Let's See How Far We Can Delay It | Dr Ashleigh Smith & Maddison Mellow

A/Prof Genevieve Steiner is a cognitive neuroscientist with research spanning the early detection, prevention, and treatment of memory and thinking problems in older people with the aim of reducing dementia risk and improving quality of life.

In this episode Genevieve gives specific focus to the use of complementary medicine by older people for a wide range of health conditions and to improve quality of life. There are currently 8.1 million users of complementary medicine in Australia and 75% of older people use some form of complementary medicine to improve their quality of life.
What is complementary medicine?
How does complementary medicine give people with dementia a choice over their health and their options and agency over their own care?
Dietary approaches to wellness.
The shifting definition of treatment to include complex therapy approaches that are wholistic. The overarching approach to health and wellbeing.

A/Prof Genevieve Steiner is a cognitive neuroscientist with research spanning the early detection, prevention, and treatment of memory and thinking problems in older people with the aim of reducing dementia risk and improving quality of life.
In this episode Genevieve gives specific focus to the use of complementary medicine by older people for a wide range of health conditions and to improve quality of life. There are currently 8.1 million users of complementary medicine in Australia and 75% of older people use some form of complementary medicine to improve their quality of life.
<ul>
<li>What is complementary medicine?</li>
<li>How does complementary medicine give people with dementia a choice over their health and their options and agency over their own care?</li>
<li>Dietary approaches to wellness.</li>
<li>The shifting definition of treatment to include complex therapy approaches that are wholistic. The overarching approach to health and wellbeing.</li>
</ul>

1. Walking With Dementia | Nancy Russo

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