DoctorManeesh Kuruvilla

Project Total: $9,700; Adults with RBD have a 90% chance of developing dementia or another neurodegenerative disease (ND) within 10 years. However, RBD is difficult to diagnose. This project will evaluate 24-hour actigraphy (activity) watches for detecting probable RBD (pRBD) in Tasmania. Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Incubator ($9,700); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $22,712; This project will determine the prevalence of Isolated REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (iRBD) in Tasmania. Up to 90% of people with iRBD will progress to a ND, such as dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson's disease, within 10 years of first diagnosis. This makes iRBD one of the highest risk factors for dementia and other ND. The prevalence of this disorder remains unclear, as few people recognise the significance of iRBD symptoms, and few prevalence studies have been conducted. It is estimated that iRBD affects 2% of the population, but there have never been any prevalence studies in Australia. Participants from the ISLAND Sleep Study will be invited to have a sleep study in their home to confirm a diagnosis of iRBD and will also complete several cognitive-motor-olfactory assessments. This project will identify adults in the Tasmanian community who have iRBD and investigate the cognitive, motor and olfactory characteristics associated with progression to dementia and other neurodegenerative disease. Funded by: Clifford Craig Foundation - Grant ($22,712); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $989,090; The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety detailed seven recommendations which emphasise the need for older Aboriginal people to receive culturally respectful and safe, high quality, trauma-informed, needs-based, and flexible services regardless of where they live - and to receive such services from staff who are educated about and trained in culturally safe and trauma-informed care. In this Stream 2 project, Aboriginal Australian Elders in TAS, VIC, NSW, and WA will co-create, co-deliver, and assist in measuring the impact of new web-based knowledge that has practical implications for improving health care for Aboriginal people with dementia. The citizen science methodology will be Participatory Action Research (PAR). PAR, by definition, is a co-creation process and a hallmark of the four funded initiatives that underpin this project: the Good Spirit, Good Life quality of life tool for older Aboriginal people; the online Caring for Spirit program; Let's CHAT Dementia and Aboriginal women learning on Country. Elders from each community who were involved in these four initiatives will form an Advisory Board and work with the project team to co-create a 12-week online university unit where content, delivery, and assessment privilege the spirit, voices, and culture of Aboriginal people. This new knowledge will educate non-Aboriginal healthcare providers. The co-created new knowledge will be offered initially through the tuition-free online Diploma of Dementia Care at the University of Tasmania and then scaled up for nationwide availability, potentially through a co-created Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The impact of this new knowledge about culturally respectful and safe dementia care will be measured through analysis of co-designed quantitative and qualitative assessment data from non-Aboriginal healthcare providers as they complete the unit and make changes in their professional practice. Funded by: Medical Research Future Fund - Grant - Preventative and Public Health Research ($989,090); University of Tasmania ($30,527).

Project Total: $5,000; Donation Record Funded by: Donation via University of Tasmania Foundation - Donation ($5,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,818; Adults with RBD have a 90% chance of developing dementia or other neurodegenerative disease (ND) within 10 years. However, RBD is under-recognised. This project will identify RBD prevalence in Tasmania, characterise its associated features, and offer risk reduction strategies with the long-term aim of decreasing the incidence of ND. Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Project ($24,818); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $5,000; Donation record Funded by: Donation via University of Tasmania Foundation - Donation ($5,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $5,000; Donation in support of Samantha Bramich's (PhD Student) research This project will characterise who is at highest risk of developing dementia in an enriched cohort of people with probable REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (pRBD) and compare a simple smell test against an expensive-time consuming sleep study in the diagnosis of RBD. RBD is a sleep disorder that is characterised by enactment of motor behaviours throughout vivid dreaming episodes in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. It is an early clinical sign of abnormal synuclein proteins in the brain. The funding will be used to purchase approximately 100 University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Tests (UPSIT), the gold standard validated measure of olfactory function, to be used with a sample of participants in the ISLAND Sleep Study who are found to have pRBD through a validated screening questionnaire. Funded by: Donation via University of Tasmania Foundation - Donation ($5,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $5,000; Donation in support of Sunny Jang's research Funded by: Donation via University of Tasmania Foundation - Donation ($5,000); University of Tasmania.