Why this cluster exists
Globally, it is expected that the number of people aged 65 years or older will reach 2.1 billion by 2050. This is cause for celebration for how successful we have been in improving health through technological advancement. Yet it results in different needs with ageing to ensure older adults retain quality of life, maintaining function, agency and independence.
Ageing presents a public health and economic challenge for governments around the world. The retirement age is being raised in many countries, which means there is a need for innovative strategies to enable older to people to remain independent, productive, and healthy.
The proportion of people in Australia aged 65 years and over will increase to 22% of the population by 2057. On the Sunshine Coast, the population aged 65+ is already 22 percent. This places UniSC in a unique position to play a leading role regionally – and to impact the health of older adults globally through our research.
The Healthy Ageing Cluster combines research and clinical expertise from across UniSC to lead the discovery and implementation of solutions to promote healthy ageing in its geographical footprint from the Fraser Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the City of Moreton Bay. The Healthy Ageing Cluster is a key focal point for collaborative research between UniSC and community and industry stakeholders. The Healthy Ageing Cluster will become a leading local community led integration between researchers, industry and end-users to enhance ageing in its geographical footprint and be at the forefront both nationally and internationally in promoting and supporting healthy ageing.
Our work
All our work aligns broadly to at least one the following four themes:
Healthy behaviours for proactive ageing
Our work in the healthy behaviours for proactive ageing theme focusses on enhancing physical and cognitive capacity and maintaining function through engagement in proactive health behaviours, including physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindfulness
Creativity and connectedness
The creativity and connectedness theme adopts community-engaged practices to explore the transformative power of creative practices and social connection to engage older people in place based, sustainable and meaningful ways.
Chronic and long‐term conditions
Our chronic and long‐term conditions theme focusses on the diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of chronic and age‐related conditions through targeted interventions and rehabilitation strategies.
Health service solutions for ageing in place
The health service solutions for ageing in place theme looks to offer supportive models to drive independence and care including community, residential retirement and aged-care settings, and palliative and end of life care.
In the news
Research uncovers hidden Australian skin cancer epidemic
Deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers have almost doubled in Australia this millennium – and the culprit is hiding in plain sight, according to new medical research led by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Fighting cancer and climate change: UniSC researchers use genetic research to unlock seaweed’s hidden secrets
UniSC researchers have undertaken genetic analysis of 12 edible seaweeds to identify potential cancer-preventing compounds.
Health economics research puts dollar value on cancer survival
New University of the Sunshine Coast-led research has for the first time estimated the healthcare costs of Queenslanders who survived cancers in the 20 years to 2016.
Key industry partners
- Abbott Nutrition
- Actegy Health
- Avanti Fitness
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Jasmine Units, Division of Allied Health and Rehabilitation, PAH, Metro South Health.
- Brain Treatment Centre
- Brighton Wellness Hub (Metro North Health)
- Caboolture hospital
- Champion Life
- City of Moreton Bay Economic Development
- Comlink Australia
- Cyborg Dynamics Engineering
- Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services
- Eli Lilly, Lundbeck Foundation
- Every Mind
- IDRC - Canada
- Jetts Fitness Australia
- Keyton Retirement Living
- Lutheran Services - Aged Care
- Melbourne Storm RL
- Metro North Hospital and Health Service (RBWH)
- Metro North PHN
- MS Qld
- Music Producers and Engineers Guild
- NewDirection Care
- Nutritious Cuisine
- Queensland Police Service
- Ramsay Health
- Regis
- Royal Rehab Group, Sydney.
- SANParks (South African National Parks)
- Smith and Davies (wellbeing)
- Suncare
- Sunshine Coast Council
- Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
- Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective
- Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group (SCOG)
- Sunshine Coast University Hospital
- Sunshine Coast Vascular Clinic
- The Prince Charles Hospital (MNHHS)
- Trisco Foods
- ZAPP South African Poetry Project
Community groups and not-for-profit organisations
- Adem Crosby Centre
- Australian Association of Gerontology
- Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
- Bloomhill cancer wellness centre
- Caboolture hospital community representative group
- Caloundra Chamber of Commerce
- Comlink Australia
- Endeavour Foundation
- HammondCare
- Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre
- IORA
- Kilkivan District Community Care Association
- Life Without Barriers
- Mens Shed Queensland
- Mini Farm Project
- Mooloolaba Rotary
- Pomona Community House
- Prostate cancer support groups (mostly attended by older men)
- Refocus
- Regional Music Research Group
- Relationships Australia
- Sleep Health Foundation
- Uniting Care Australia