In 2021, the Emeritus Professor Lloyd and Ann Smythe Prize in Dementia Studies has been awarded to Barbora Fulopova. Barbora is in her final year of her PhD, focusing on Alzheimer's disease, at the Wicking Dementia Centre.
The prize was instigated by Lesley Rowe, a graduate of the Bachelor of Dementia Care, in memory of her parents. Her father Professor Lloyd was a well-known Australian chemist and the University of Tasmania’s first PhD recipient, while her mother Ann was the family’s rock of support and eventually had to navigate living with dementia. We would like to thank the family of Emeritus Professor Lloyd and Ann Smythe for their ongoing support to research students in progressing our understanding of the dementia diseases. Photo: Assoc Prof Alison Canty and Barbora Fulopova READ MORE | The aged and dementia care workforce is one of the fastest-growing occupational groups, but it is not growing fast enough. This project investigates the challenges of recruiting and retaining workers in this sector and how this has a flow-on effect on the quality of care for older adults, including those living with dementia. Social ties with clients provide meaning in care work and the relationships care workers have with their clients are a motivating factor to participate in the job. However, there is a need to support care workers who feel isolated and to look for continuing professional education and training. This research will help to identify strategies to best reduce job stress, enhance work engagement and reduce turnover, improving the quality of care. READ MORE |