In an Australian-first, the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA) has officially opened six Advanced Simulation Research Facilities to help inform preventative health for older people and people living with disability.
Based across three locations in Victoria, the facilities include an Independent Living Laboratory and Mobility Garden, an Intergenerational Playground, Ageing Well Clinics, Smart Ward, Digital Library and a Multipurpose Research Facility featuring a Movement Analysis Laboratory and Broadcasting Studio.
At the official launch at the Healthy Futures Hub in Seaford, Professor Velandai Srikanth, Director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, paid tribute to the many visionary partners involved in the ambitious project and said investing in research initiatives likes this could help change many lives.
“We are excited about the transformative impact these NCHA Advanced Simulation Research Facilities will have in generating evidence to inform government, industry, education, technology, and service sectors. With greater investment from government and industry, they could extend into many more communities across Australia, unlocking even greater national impact,” Professor Srikanth said.
VIDEO: NCHA’s six simulation facilities are now open.
Among the attendees at the launch were Ms Jana Gazarek, CEO, Peninsula Care Group, Bayside Health, and Co-Chair NCHA Governance Group; Ms Jodie Belyea MP, Federal Member for Dunkley; Mr Chris Crewther, Victorian Member for Mornington; Cr Sue Baker, Mayor, Frankston City Council; Ms Karen Corry, Bayside Health Board Member, Professor Terry Haines, Head of School Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University and Chair of the NCHA Simulations Facilities; Professor Mel Dodd, Dean, Monash Art Design and Architecture (MADA), and previous NCHA Governance Group members, Ms Felicity Topp, A/Prof Helen Cooper, and Professor David Copolov.
Ms Jodie Belyea MP, the Federal Member for Dunkley highlighted the importance of NCHA’s approach to working closely with community in co-designing and developing the facilities.
Ms Jana Gazarek, CEO of Bayside Health Peninsula, said NCHA and its partners should be incredibly proud of what they have built together through the simulation facilities model.
“By combining simulation, data, and partnership, we can now reimagine models of care for older people, ensuring they are not only living longer, but living healthier, more connected, and more fulfilling lives,” she said.
“We wanted to be at the cutting-edge of research in ageing, so this required bold ideas, taking a bit of a risk, being adventurous, but always embedding that with what our stakeholders were telling us was something that would be useful, with something that would drive innovation in the aged care space, and be something that would really inspire a new way of thinking in our researchers and our clinicians for how they could go about their work,” Professor Haines said.
“One of the great things of the simulated facilities infrastructure is it gives people an opportunity to dream a bit more, to expand their horizons, to understand what is possible. New boundaries will be pushed, new ways of doing things will be developed and better care is going to be developed through that.”
The National Centre for Healthy Ageing thanks everyone involved in creating and delivering this multi-faceted project, including the Federal Government for their on-going funding support.
Professor Srikanth, NCHA Director added: “Addressing healthy ageing is a complex issue, and not one solution fits everything. We’re really proud that the National Centre for Healthy Ageing has delivered on its promise of providing preventative health for older people and people living with disability in Australia. We are also very excited these facilities will help inform research into future models of care and living environments so we can age well, live well.”
The NCHA Advanced Research Simulation Facilities are now open!
Find out more at ncha.org.au/simulation facilities.
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