• Identifying risky drugs for older people

    Open Forum     |      February 6, 2024

    Australian researchers have developed a list of 16 potentially dangerous medications used in healthcare for older people and suggested a range of safer alternatives.

  • Modernising Medicare

    Anthony Scott     |      February 3, 2024

    As Medicare turns 40 years old this month, it’s important to reflect on its achievements, and also what needs to be done to remodel it.

  • Their foot’s in the door

    Ben Knight     |      January 27, 2024

    While The Last of Us remains a work of fiction, real-life scientists are worried about rising rates and severity of fungal infections worldwide.

  • Walk hard

    Open Forum     |      January 27, 2024

    The ability to walk a kilometre or not can help predict fracture risk for older adults, say researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney.

  • Green mental health

    Alan Stevenson     |      January 24, 2024

    Getting out into nature helps people improve their mental health – and bringing nature back into our cities can reduce crime.

  • Best foot forward

    Open Forum     |      January 18, 2024

    A randomised control trial has found that “gamified” step exercises at home helped prevent falls for people over 65 by over a quarter, compared to a control group.

  • The return of COVID

    Adrian Esterman     |      January 12, 2024

    COVID is now seen as a minor inconvenience, rather than a global health threat, but a new variant is surging across the world and only 20% of older Australians are up to date with their booster shots.

  • Eight weeks to less stress

    Open Forum     |      December 29, 2023

    A little compassion can go a long way in life, and just eight weeks of a new compassion and mindfulness-based program has made a world of difference to those with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

  • Gene genies

    Merlin Crossley     |      December 18, 2023

    The UK and US have both approved a gene editing therapy to overcome the genetic mutation that causes sickle cell disease, heralding a new age of gene editing to treat congenital genetic conditions.

  • What ails Australia?

    Open Forum     |      December 14, 2023

    Mental health and substance use disorders are now the second largest group of diseases causing illness and premature death in Australia, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

  • Lack of trust inhibits health data sharing

    Open Forum     |      December 12, 2023

    A lack of trust between institutions in Australia is a bigger hurdle to the easy sharing of health and social welfare data than perceived state legislation obstacles – which researchers say has little detrimental effect in Australia.

  • Mental health goes digital

    Jacinthe Flore     |      December 10, 2023

    The isolating effects of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 were a springboard for fast-paced, data-driven, technologically delivered changes in mental health care, led by new firms taking advantage of sluggish progress by traditional services.