The Rise and Rise of Chronic Disease: Effects of Societal Ageing 

Are you keen to understand how complex issues that span multiple disciplines can be tackled in research? Then join this series, which will illustrate the value of geography as a connecting science, ideal for dealing with complex issues. A series of four sessions delivered across 2021 aims to provide a wide-ranging view of some contemporary issues in healthcare form a health geography perspective. In this series Dr. Hamish Robertson will range across disciplines to discuss the role of the humanities, social sciences and health disciplines in addressing emerging complexities and the value in making cross-disciplinary connections.

While the examples given will relate to health, the workshops will be valuable for researchers in many fields, studying many topics, providing opportunities to learn about working with different kinds of data, data representation / visualisation, and different approaches to analysis.

The key topics for discussion will include: (1) a general introduction to health geography and its connections to disciplines such as classical studies, religious studies, history, public health and the social sciences; (2) communicable and infectious diseases from a health geography perspective including the importance of quantitative and qualitative methods for effective management of these problems; (3) non-communicable diseases including trends such as population ageing and disability; (4) environmental racism and classism as a specific focus because social inequalities are health inequalities.

No experience in any branch of academic geography is expected for participation in this series. The mindset we ask for is an openness to different disciplines, perspectives and making connections across fields of inquiry, methodologies and events.

This is the registration page for the 3rd session in the series:

The Rise and Rise of Chronic Disease: Effects of Societal Ageing

Global population ageing is now a major demographic trend, with profound implications for societies and economies in the coming decades. It is closely correlated with rising rates of disability and chronic disease including an expanding complex of neuroepidemiological conditions. The complexities of chronic disease and current systems of care present risks to this growing older population. Many parts of the aged care system in Australia and elsewhere are poorly connected, reflecting a lack of preparedness and adaptiveness to this profound phenomenon. Population ageing is progressing unevenly and differentially across the country. Numbers of older people are rising, and monetised systems of care are and remain problematic. These factors go beyond basic economic and policy developments, needing a complex of increasingly sophisticated social and health science responses. One way of connecting the ‘problem’ (or success) of ageing and the systems and people we have is through a geographic perceptive. In this session we will examine the various ways in which health geography can contribute to progressive population-level ageing and the challenges it presents.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand how to connect global ageing to local patterns of chronic disease and associated service problems.

2. Learn how to explore differential ageing in Australia via a geographic perspective.

3. Broaden your understanding of the spatial sciences and their utility for meeting population and community-level health and social care needs.

Please note that this session will be recorded and may be uploaded as online training.