Living Labs

Living Labs program

Our Living Labs program is the engine room of our research.

We conduct innovative projects in different settings – in the wider community, in hospitals, and in residential aged care.

Our projects bring people with lived experience together with our best research and clinical talent to study some of the most complex challenges in healthy ageing, with an emphasis on optimising health and improving health and social care systems.

We place particular importance on at-risk communities, such as those experiencing dementia, drug and alcohol dependency, homelessness and other socioeconomic or cultural disadvantages.

With ageing also comes the need to provide informal care. Our programs also address the oft-ignored needs of carers of people experiencing the challenges of ageing.

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Our impact

Our Living Labs program of research encapsulates a broad number of funded and partner projects delivering local, national, and international impact.

We are delivering around AUD$7 million in additional healthy ageing research which will:

  • inform new policy and system design
  • enhance health and care quality
  • augment workforce capability and
  • demonstrate significant research and clinical translation.

Highlighted projects

Other projects

  • Residential Aged Care - Enhanced Dementia Diagnosis
    Led by Dr Darshini Ayton (Monash University and Alfred Health)
  • Changing the focus: Engaging people with dementia in physical activity
    Led by Professor Keith Hill (Monash University)
  • Building capacity to prevent and manage infections in residential aged care
    Led by Professor Helen Rawson and Professor Phil Russo (Monash University)
  • Integration of person-centred care planning in a hospital setting
    Led by Rebecca Barnden (Peninsula Health)
  • Improving support for CALD carers transitioning older adults from hospital to community
    Led by Dr Jacqueline Allen (Monash University)
  • Informing built environment, technology and workforce design in Residential Aged Care
    Led by Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Monash University)
  • Informed psychosocial care for older people in an Emergency Setting
    Led by Dr Rosamond Dwyer (Peninsula Health and Monash University)
  • Supporting vulnerable populations to maintain healthy ageing  
    Led by Associate Professor Suzanne Nielsen (Monash University)
  • Integrating alcohol culture change into older adults’ positive ageing
    Led by Dr Tina Lam (Monash University)
  • Mental health and emergency care for people aged over 65 years
    Led by Dr Rosamond Dwyer (Peninsula Health)
  • Who cares for the carer?
    Led by Professor Keith Hill (Monash University)
  • Mapping alcohol and other drug patient journeys
    Led by Professor Suzanne Nielsen (Monash University)
  • Deep End Living Lab: better support for healthy ageing in homeless populations
    Led by Dr Liz Sturgiss (Monash University)
  • Co-designing an enriched cohort study to examine periods of transition for older adults
    Led by Professor Suzanne Nielsen (Monash University)

Chair of Living Labs

Professor Alex Collie

Alex CollieProfessor Alex Collie is Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group and the Division of Health Systems, Services and Policy in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and a Churchill Fellow. Alex is an applied public health and social policy researcher, with a specific focus on work injury rehabilitation, occupational health, and social protection schemes for personal injury.

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