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2025 Speaker Schedule
Thursday 13th March
10am – 11am
Sleep as a pillar for health
Presented by Associate Professor Dr. Rosie Gibson
In this presentation, Dr. Rosie Gibson will offer insights into the functions of sleep, with a particular focus on brain health. Rosie will also provide an overview of her work discussing the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes for sleep disruptions among older New Zealanders. Including representing the experiences and psycho-social context of sleep with ageing, dementia, and caregiving.
Thursday 13th March
12 noon – 1pm
Lifestyle Interventions for Dementia Risk Reduction: Insights from Global Research to Local Action
Presented by Associate Professor Dr. Susanne Röhr
This talk will explore the latest global evidence on lifestyle-based dementia risk reduction and its implications for similar efforts in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will also examine how socio-economic conditions and cultural differences influence lifestyle and brain health, and what this means for dementia risk reduction and prevention strategies. The goal is to consider how these insights can inform brain health interventions that are effective and appropriate for New Zealand’s unique context.
Friday 14th March
10am – 11am
Understanding and strengthening our social brain
Presented by Associate Professor Dr. Nigel George
Dr. Nigel George will shed light on the power of our social brain, including:
- Psychoeducation on the brain as a social organ
- Types of social connection that keep us healthy across our lifespan
- The “Threat, Drive, Connect” model of emotion regulation, including:
– Threats that contribute to stress as we age
– Drivers that enhance meaning and purpose as we age
– Connect mechanisms that promote wellbeing as we age - The cost of caring and connection, including coping with compassion fatigue and burnout
- Practical tools to strengthen connection, wellbeing and brain health
Friday 14th March
12 noon – 1pm
Brain Health in Practice
Presented by Emma Fromings
Primary Care already provide education and support for people to better understand and manage their health including prevention of, and/or worsening of a health condition eg Cardio Vascular conditions and Diabetes. Some medical practices are now adding to this by utilising Brain Health information for those at risk of cognitive impairment, or who have been diagnosed with a Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia.
This presentation will share how Brain Health promotion and support is being done in the Kāpiti region utilising the entire practice team including Health Improvement Practitioners. The multifactorial benefits of the Brain Health work reaches beyond lowering the risk of dementia to also achieving a more timely diagnosis of dementia, connection to supports – and addresses the fear and stigma associated with dementia.
Speaker Profiles
Dr. Rosie Gibson is an Associate Professor at Massey University’s School of Psychology where she is affiliated with the Health and Ageing Research Team and Sleep/Wake Research Centre. She has a background in aged care and clinical sleep practice. Her research focuses on sleep across the lifespan, with a special focus on the sleep-related changes among families affected by dementia.
Dr. Susanne Röhr is an Associate Professor with the Health and Ageing Research Team (HART) at Massey University. Her work focuses on epidemiology and public health research in healthy ageing and age-related brain health, primarily utilizing population-based cohort studies. Objective is identifying modifiable health and lifestyle risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia as well as their individual and combined contribution to cognition-related brain health in old age. Moreover, Susanne is particularily interested in social and environmental determinants of brain health, i.e. which and how contextual factors (e.g. education, income, gross domestic product, built environment, nature and climate) determine lifestyle behaviours known to be associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
Dr Nigel George is a registered clinical psychologist with experience working with older adults and their carers’. In addition to his extensive practical experience working with clients, he’s also spent time dedicated to researching the key factors contributing to healthy ageing.
Emma is a registered Mental Health nurse with a speciality in dementia. She has worked in the UK and NZ in a variety of roles for the NHS, for DHB’s, Aged Care Facilities, private Home Care Providers and more recently for Dementia Wellington. She developed and delivered an educational programme for Dementia Wellington and has established a Living Well programme for people in early stages of dementia.
Currently she works as Health Improvement Practitioner in a medical practice where she is leading a project to support better recognition and response to early change in cognition in primary care.
Emma strongly believes that a wider recognition and understanding of dementia by health professionals, NZ society as a whole – including families/friends supporting a person living with dementia, leads to a better quality of life for that person and those around them.