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  • 1st IARU GSC
The International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU)

1st Graduate Student Conference

The inaugural International Alliance of Research Universities Graduate Student Conference (IARU GSC) 2012 was  successfully  conducted  from  28  to  30  June  2012.  19  graduate  students  from  6  of  the  10  IARU  member universities, along with 2 faculty staff members from University of Copenhagen, attended the conference which was  held  alongside  the  inaugural  NUS  Global  Asia  Institute  (GAI)  Signature  Conference  (28 - 29  June  2012).

 

Thematic Round Table Sessions by NUS Faculty

Aging well, research to policy?

by Professor Peter Little from the Life Sciences Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Office of Deputy President (Research & Technology).

The focus of the presentation was on the need to better engage policymakers to create an improved policy framework  for  ageing  well.  Prof  Little  asserted  that  the  public  goal  of  ageing  well  should  be  to  steer away from the “red zone” of reliance upon the public purse. He felt that enhancing happiness should also be a key goal when addressing is sues related to ageing

 

Social Demography and Support for Aging Well

by Associate Professor Angelique Chan from the Department of Sociology and Duke - NUS Graduate Medical School.

A/Prof  Chan  presented  on  demographic  changes  in  Singapore  and  their  implications,  particularly  for caregivers. She highlighted the shrinking proportion of young people in Singapore due to higher rates of non-marriage, marriage at a later age, and increased longevity. A/Prof Chan argued that these trends put great  pressure  on  caregivers,  who  experience  high  financial,  physical,  and  emotional  costs.  Prof  Chan reported  that  with  shrinking  household  sizes  among  older  persons,  Singaporeans  rely  increasingly  on
domestic workers to fill in the gap and care for the aged.

A/Prof  Chan  also  noticed  differences  among  the  elderly  according  to  gender.  Men  are  more  likely  to remarry and live  with a spouse and at least one child. Women, on
the other hand, tend to have stronger social networks outside of the household. Men who live alone have a significantly higher probability of being depressed.

Echoing  Prof  Little  in  the  previous  presentation,  A/Prof  Chan  emphasized  the  need  for  evidence-based policy formation and for both quantitative and qualitative research. She believed there was a causal link between care-giving  and  depression.

 

Translational Research in Gerontology: Adding More Life to More Years

by Associate Professor Ng Tze  Pin  from  the Gerontological  Research  Program,  Yong  Loo  Lin  School  of  Medicine,  National University Health System.

A/Prof  Ng  spoke  about  bridging  the  gap  between  basic  research  and  practical  applications.   As Coordinator of the  Gerontology  Research Program ,  A/Prof Ng believed that it  was important to engage directly with people in the community. He shared that as the limited funds from the research grants did not allow him to lease venues in the heartlands of Singapore for research, he had to source for space that was eventually provided to the researchers through the goodwill of community organizations.

Through his research, A/Prof Ng identified demographic risk factors for dementia among Singaporeans. There  tended to be  higher rates of dementia  among females, the  elderly, Indians, and Malays, but there was  no  significant  difference amongst  the  ethnic  groups  for  those  who  had  obtained  at  least  secondary level  of  education.  Notably,  he found  that  lifelong  learning  and  sustained  mental  activity  played  a significant role in preventing dementia.

A/Prof Ng, like Prof Little and A/Prof Chan, emphasized the need for evidence-based recommendations to address issues of ageing. He believed that with increasing rates of functional disability in countries like Singapore, Thailand, and China, more research must be done for individuals to have maximum mobility. He felt that this could be achieved by making the built environment more elderly-friendly.

A/Prof Ng then remarked that elderly people living alone tended to show more depressive symptoms but argued that the more powerful predictive of depressive symptoms was no
t living alone, but loneliness. He concluded  his  presentation  by  stating  that  those  who  were  still  working  experienced  less  cognitive decline and a higher level of life satisfaction.

 

Site Visit to the Gerontology Research Program at the Training & Research Academy (TaRA)

Participants  of  the  conference  visited  the  Gerontology  Research  Program (GRP)  at  the  Training  &  Research Academy (TaRA),  where  they  were  welcomed  by  Mr  Laurence  Wee  (CEO,  TaRA;  Executive  Director, Presbyterian  Community  Services)  who  delivered  an  overview  of  the  projects  and  facilities  at  TaRA.  Located inside  Jurong  Point  Shopping  Centre,  TaRA  provided  an  accessible social  setting  where  the  elderly  had  their check-ups.

Dr  Feng  Lei  (Research  Fellow,  Department  of  Psychological  Medicine,  NUS  Yong  Loo  Lin  School  of Medicine) spoke  on  the  GRP  and emphasized  multidisciplinary research in addressing the  issue  of ageing.  He highlighted  the  two  primary  goals  of  GRP:  to  increase  understanding  of  ageing  in  Asia  and  to  provide  the government with important information on how to address ageing-related disability problems.

After a presentation on the organization of the GRP by Ms Khin Chaw Yu Aung (Research Assistant), Dr Feng Liang  (Research  Fellow)  from  the  Department  of  Psychological  Medicine,  NUS  Yong  Loo  Lin  School  of Medicine, reported on GRP’s research findings. In one study, researchers found evidence of curry consumption improving  cognitive  performance  in  the  elderly.  In  another  study,  they  found  tea  intake  to  be  significantly associated with lower cognitive impairment.

The  GSC  participants  also  had  the  opportunity  to  engage  with  the  research  staff  and  elderly  subjects. The experience allowed them to witness firsthand how empirical research – aimed at disease prevention and health promotion – was conducted.

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