Creating a dementia eyecare pathway together

What's the project about?

We want to help people living with dementia see well, to live well, for as long as possible. Being able to see well helps us stay active and social. This is good for brain health.As we get older, we need an eye test once a year. Spotting eye problems early prevents poor eyesight. This is why the aged care sector should make sure people can have an eye test.To help people with dementia see well, we want to design an eyecare pathway to support their access to eyecare.Below is a 10 minute video about the project. Or click here to watch it in the Youtube app.

What is a dementia eyecare pathway?

It is a way of doing things so people with dementia don’t miss out on eyecare.We want to make sure everyone can have good eyecare in residential aged care.It’s not just about getting an eye test. It's about eye health, eye comfort, and knowing how well someone can see.There are many different people involved in dementia care and support. So, we'll work with everyone to create the pathway.

Why do we need this pathway in residential aged care?

Up to 1 in 3 people with dementia may have some sight loss. Nearly half is due to broken, old or missing glasses. The rest is due to eye problems that can be treated in hospital, like eye disease or cataract.We all have a right to sight, but right now, some people with dementia are missing out on eyecare. They are less likely to have an eye test, or have eye problems treated.A structured pathway ensures that eyecare needs are seen, understood and met by everyone providing care and support.

Who is funding this research?

This research is funded by the Dementia Australia Research Foundation: Professor Henry Brodaty Mid-Career Fellowship awarded to Dr. Marianne Coleman.The Dementia Australia Research Foundation is the research arm of Dementia Australia, which provides funding to support new and emerging dementia researchers.Read more about Marianne's other work funded by the Foundation at the web links below.

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Who is hosting this research?

This research project is hosted by the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, a unique collaboration between Monash University and Peninsula Health, funded by the Federal Government.The Centre's mission is to transform health related to ageing for all Australians. Engaging with the community to tackle the most pressing issues is at the core of the Centre's activities, just like this project.Explore the Centre's work via the buttons below.

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Project Advisory Group

Our project advisory group is four Dementia Advocates. Dementia Advocates are people with lived experience of dementia. They may be living with dementia, or someone caring for or supporting a person with dementia.The Project Advisory Group have been involved in developing the research idea. The group will support the project in different ways. Everyone has experience of being involved in research projects.Learn about our Project Advisory Group members below.

Steve Grady
Steve was diagnosed with younger onset dementia at the age of 60 years. Steve's wife is now living in an aged care facility, after experiencing a stroke. Steve is a strong advocate for high quality aged care services.

Heather Macklin
Heather has cared for multiple family members who have moved into residential aged care, including her mother, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, and her father, who experienced a stroke. Heather wants to see clear pathways that support people living with dementia after diagnosis, that could be translated to other conditions associated with cognitive impairment, such as stroke.Heather previously served on the board of an aged care organisation and has spoken as a Dementia Advocate on topics such as advanced care planning.

Evelyn Doak
Evelyn is a 72 year old dementia advocate who lives in Port Macquarie NSW. She is married with two grown children. Evelyn is currently working part time with the Department of Education on the Mid North Coast.She has extensive living experience of dementia having cared for both her mother and her father when they were diagnosed with dementia over 7 years ago.Evelyn is a passionate advocate for quality nursing home care and is a strong believer in person centred care. She will not accept situations where people with dementia are left without stimulation, activity and connection with other people.Evelyn is an active member of the National Consumer Advocacy Body for Australian Unity, ensuring consumer voices are represented in decision-making processes.

Natalie Ive
Natalie Ive’s academic achievements include a Masters in special education and a dual award degree in political science. Natalie has extensive experience in both mainstream and special education settings, spanning over 15 + years. Natalie sits on the Dementia Australia Advisory Committee and is a member of the board of directors for the Australia Aphasia Association. These roles allow Natalie to advocate for all people living with dementia.Natalie was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia in 2021, a language led dementia where word finding and communication are the earliest and most prominent signs. Natalie has been involved in guiding multiple research projects and her most recent achievement is the development of the Primary Progressive Aphasia Guide, co-authored with key researchers and clinicians in the field.

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Investigator Team

This research project is the primary workstream for the Professor Henry Brodaty Mid-Career Fellowship awarded to Dr. Marianne Coleman, who is the lead investigator for the project.Marianne will be the main point of contact between the Investigator Team, the Project Advisory Group, and the Expert Reference Group.Marianne is supported by a team of experienced researchers with expertise in aged care research, implementation science and social science research methodologies, such as case study approaches.

Dr Marianne Coleman
Marianne is a mid-career researcher and orthoptist. Orthoptist means "straight eyes" in Latin. Orthoptists are eyecare professionals who specialise in diagnosing and treating problems with eye movements and depth perception.Marianne worked in the UK National Health Service and later trained in clinical research. Marianne now works at the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, a collaboration between Monash University and Peninsula Health.Marianne's pioneering dementia research has been funded by the UK Royal Society of Medicine, Fight for Sight (the UK's leading sight loss research charity) and the Dementia Australia Research Foundation.Marianne's research has been guided at each stage by people living with dementia and carers.

Associate Professor Anita Goh
Anita is a clinician researcher, with expertise in mental health, cognition, ageing, and dementia. Anita is a clinical neuropsychologist and Director of Aged Care and Social Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute.Anita received the Dementia Australia Research Foundation Dr Stuart & Bonnie Bartle Mid-Career Research Fellowship. Her research aims to improve the way research evidence is translated into clinical practice in dementia care.Anita is an experienced aged care researcher and will provide mentorship and guidance to Marianne throughout the research project.

Professor Lisa Keay
Lisa is the Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Sydney.Lisa's public health research focuses on healthy ageing and falls prevention. Lisa's research has changed practice in areas such as cataract surgery on both eyes, and how glasses are prescribed for older adults. Lisa's team also developed an exercise program to reduce risk of falls for older people with vision impairment, who are often excluded from community exercise programs.Lisa is leading a part of the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study 2, looking at vision changes and cognitive changes. Lisa is also a co-investigator on SenseCog research projects. These studies explore prevalence of vision and hearing impairment in people living in residential aged care or receiving home care services in Australia.

Professor Lynette Joubert
Lynette is based at the University of Melbourne. Lynette is a clinical psychologist and qualified social worker. Lynette has a long-standing track record in high quality care and mental wellbeing research, for better outcomes in people's health and mental health.Lynette's research interests are wide and include emotional well-being, elder abuse, integrated care after stroke, and living with multimorbidity.Lynette's involvement in this project is driven by her interest in the role of social isolation, to which poor vision can be a major contributing factor, in health outcomes.

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Associate Professor Joel Rhee
Joel is the Head of Discipline of General Practice at the School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney.Joel is passionate about improving the delivery of care by primary health care professionals to people who are most in need. This includes people living in residential aged care homes.

Associate Professor Meri Vukicevic
Meri is an orthoptist and accomplished researcher at La Trobe University's School of Allied Health. Meri is a course coordinator for the Discipline of Orthoptics.Meri's research focuses on diseases affecting the back of the eye, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease. Meri was previously involved in research about low vision in residential aged care.

Associate Professor Connie Koklanis
Connie is the Head of the Discipline of Orthoptics at La Trobe University. Connie's research looks at different topics such as best practice eyecare and creative ways to deliver eyecare services.Most recently, Connie has developed an award-winning student-led eyecare service to help reduce waiting times at the Royal Children's Hospital.

More expert reference group members being added soon!

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Professor Piers Dawes
Piers is a sensory care researcher at the University of Queensland's Centre for Hearing Research. Piers leads two major research programs about vision and hearing care for people living with cognitive impairment. These programs are called 'SenseCog'. One program is for people living in aged care. The other program is for people getting home care services.Piers' research looks at three topics:
1) Understanding what causes hearing loss, and how this impacts people's lives
2) Preventing and treating hearing loss
3) Designing and getting feedback on new hearing loss services

Demi Gertig
Demi is a Strategic Program and Policy Manager with Optometry Australia, who are the peak professional body for optometrists.Demi will represent the Optometry Australia Aged Care Advisory Group. This group meet to help Optometry Australia stay updated on what is happening in aged care. This helps to advocate for the needs of optometrists working in this space, and their patients too.

Dr Bao Nguyen
Bao is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Bao works in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Bao is an optometrist with a special interest in neurological conditions.Bao has lived experience with a family member in residential aged care with high care needs. Bao has experience with consumer engagement, and is also a consumer consultant for health researchers.Marianne and Bao worked together to make a dementia-friendly eyecare training course for optometrists.

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