Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre Symposium | Social connections in older adulthood: Barriers and Facilitators

Join us for a symposium with Dr Suraj Samtani and Dr Diana Matovic to discuss Social connections in older adulthood: Barriers and Facilitators. Find out more about the presentations and speakers below.

Social connections for healthy brain ageing: Evidence from longitudinal studies | Dr Suraj Samtani
Dr Samtani will talk about how we live longer and healthier lives. He will discuss findings from his studies, which involved over 40,000 people from longitudinal studies from around the world. You will receive practical tips based on evidence regarding the type and amount of social connections needed for good physical, mental, cognitive and brain health. He will also discuss evidence-based strategies designed to help older adults stay socially connected.

Barriers and enablers of social participation in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) / mild dementia and their older adult carers/supporters, and design and early implementation of a social participation intervention in these populations | Dr Diana Matovic
Older adults with cognitive impairment and their carers/supporters often experience social isolation. Social isolation is associated with increased depression, anxiety, loneliness, and the development and progression of cognitive impairment. As noted by a Dementia Advocate: “I believe the longevity we all strive for after diagnosis is so dependent on the social participation we have”. Yet there is limited understanding of barriers and enablers to social participation, and ways to address isolation in these populations. These barriers and facilitators were identified in both people with MCI/mild dementia and carers/supporters using a survey and focus groups (Study 1). The findings have been used to develop interventions to reduce isolation co-designed with these populations (Study 2), which are currently being pilot tested (Study 3).

Learn more about the presenters

Dr Suraj Samtani is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney and also a clinical psychologist. His research explores the power of social connections to promote cognitive, emotional and physical healthy ageing. He was awarded a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Fellowship to conduct a Randomised Controlled Trial for a novel social cognitive skills intervention for older adults with cognitive impairment.

Dr Diana Matovic is a postdoctoral researcher and a member of the Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre. Dr Matovic manages the Ageing Well Tool designed to screen for risk factors for dementia and poor wellbeing (e.g., depression, social isolation) in older adults in primary care settings and provide evidence-based recommendations for risk reduction. Dr Matovic also works on related projects such as looking at social participation, mental health, and wellbeing in older adults with healthy cognition and older adults with mild cognitive impairment/early dementia and their older adult carers/supporters, and the mechanisms underlying positive mood in older adults.