Core research activities
There are two core research activities coming up in the next three months. Core research activities are explained in the ISLAND Participant Information Sheet, and ideally we hope all our research participants will be able to do them. Thinking, memory In August we are asking all our research participants to do some thinking, memory and hand movement tasks. These tasks assesscognitive functioning (memory and thinking), which can tell us about brain health. They are done online via your ISLAND Home page. This August is the first time these tasks will be administered across the whole ISLAND sample, and they will be repeated every two years. If you have done the ISLAND baseline surveys, your invitation to do the ISLAND thinking and memory tasks should have arrived in your inbox last week. Please contact us if it hasn't! Annual Surveys In October each year we ask our research participants to do the annual ISLAND surveys. These surveys enable us to track changes that may have occurred since your last surveys. When you have finished your surveys you will be able to see your own up-to-date dementia risk profile report. Your invitation to do the ISLAND annual surveys will arrive by email in early October. What events are coming up in community? The ISLAND Project is holding a Dementia, Prevention and Wellbeing Expo in Devonport at the paranaple Convention Centre, September 23 from 10-2. This FREE expo will bring together groups and organisations, providing patrons with information, activities, and available services in the areas of health and wellbeing.
| ISLAND sub-studies ISLAND research participants are invited from time to time to join sub-studies of the wider ISLAND Project. Sub-studies are additional to the core ISLAND research activities and tap into particular questions related to dementia prevention. The ISLAND Resilience Initiative This sub-study investigates stress, resilience and dementia and includes an opportunity to do a course designed to promote factors around resilience, coping and preparation for the Tasmanian bushfire season. Joining this sub-study involves completing some surveys and is open to all ISLAND research participants. Sub-study participants will also have the opportunity to contribute some biological samples (hair and/or saliva) to assist researchers in understanding how stress hormone levels change across time. This study aims to examine the impact of short and long term stress and trauma on dementia risk, and explore whether having resilience skills for coping with future stress and trauma can help lower this risk. Invitations to participate in this study will be emailed to you very soon. initiative and the development and testing of TAS Test. We would like to thank ISLAND participants who are in the Campus study and have tested TAS Test. These are very valuable contributions, which advance research into dementia and dementia prevention.
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