About WACHA

The Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing (WACHA) is a new centre within the University of Western Australian and the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research. WACHA is a collaboration between the University of Western Australia Schools of Medicine & Pharmacology, and Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, WAIMR and the Health Department of Western Australia. The main unit is located in Ainslie House on the Wellington St Campus of Royal Perth Hospital. There are broad collaborations including researchers in other parts of Perth, Australia and the world.

The Centre ranks among Australia's most productive ageing research centres. UWA Professor of Geriatric Medicine (Leon Flicker, Centre Director) and Professors of Psychiatry of Old Age (Professors Osvaldo Almeida and Nicola Lautenschlager) lead several large research programs in close partnership, supported by Dr Christopher Beer (Senior Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine) and other Centre academics and researchers. The Centre's work focuses on three streams:

• Healthy Ageing Program (to determine the factors that maintain good health with increasing age)
• Clinical Research Program (to determine the factors and mechanisms that lead to poor health with increasing age, as well as strategies to improve the health outcomes of older people)
• Health Service Research Program (to determine the optimal way of organising and delivering health services to older people - including those from ethnic minorities or who live in rural and remote areas)

Work to date has included evaluation of the effects of both endogenous and exogenous sex hormones, physical activity, diet, homocysteine, withdrawal of benzodiazepines and the management of smoking and alcohol. These have received funding from several NHMRC projects as well as Healthway and Rotary Health Research Fund and the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation.

Development and evaluation of innovative models of clinical service delivery have been a core component of the units work. This has included the development and evaluation of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management unit (undertaken as part of the National Demonstration Hospitals Program Phase 4) and orthogeriatric services led by Clinical A/Prof Peter Goldswain and Dr Mark Donaldson, from the RPH Department of Geriatric Medicine. Current work includes the DIRECT project which is a newly funded study which will evaluate the effect of education in improving residential care provision and the Quality of Life of people with dementia living in residential care.

The Department of Geriatric Medicine have been clinical leaders in the use of Telehealth in remote and rural Western Australia. Dr P K Loh has been leading studies in this area and has already demonstrated that people with cognitive assessment can be assessed using Telehealth, and this can be performed in a valid and reliable manner. Dr Loh was acknowledged for this work by receiving the prestigious Vincent Fairfax Research Award from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to further develop these innovative programs in Telehealth and currently has commenced negotiations with several residential care institutions to provide such Telehealth services to improve the medical care of people in residential care.

Teaching

WACHA Academics hold conjoint school appointment and contribute significantly to Undergraduate programmes in the Faculty. The unit co-ordinates the under-graduate geriatric medicine program as well as post-graduate activities. The undergraduate stream includes a clinical attachment and a problem-based self directed learning stream. Teaching utilizes interactive problem based formats to help students think creatively and critically about the problems and needs of older people. There is a strong focus on community services, including delivery of teaching by partner organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association.

Community Service

Professor Flicker is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of aging and is able to serve the entire community through his voluntary role as the elected President of the Australian Society for Geriatric Medicine. In this role he has a mandate to advocate on behalf of the profession for the needs of older people, and has regular contact with government, service providers and community organizations.