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Professor Henry Brodaty

Professor Henry Brodaty
Phone
02 9385 2585 for research, teaching and academic or 02 9382 3759 for clinical matters

Research Interests:
1) Prevention of cognitive decline and dementia - Maintain Your Brain, a randomised controlled trial of 6326persons has been completed; analyses are underway; (2) Cognitive health and ageing: What predicts cognitive decline in older people? Our Memory and Ageing Study followed a population based sample of 1037 people aged 70-90 when recruited in 2006/07 in detail every two years in order to discover  risk and protective factors for cognitive decline and dementia. We are now about to repeat this study to determine  whether there has been a change in risk factors and in rate of cognitive decline (3) Dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease: a) how to improve its detection and management by GPs; b) the effects on family carers and on how best to help them; c) ways to improve quality of life in people with dementia and d) reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)   5) Improve post-diagnostic care - we have developed www.forwardwithdementia.org.au to provide assistance to people after diagnosis, their care partners and health care practitioners.

Broad Research Areas:
Ageing, Psychiatry, Gerontology - Geriatrics, Neurodegenerative Diseases

Qualifications:
MBBS (Syd), MD (UNSW), DSc (UNSW), FRACP, FRANZCP, FAHMS

Society Memberships & Professional Activities:
Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, International Psychogeriatric Association, Alzheimer's Association, NSW, Alzheimer's Association, Australia, Alzheimer's Disease International, Australian Association of Gerontology

Specific Research Keywords:
Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Depression, Nursing Homes, Behavioural Symptoms, Prevention 


Research activities

Over 500 papers published in refereed journals

KEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO RESEARCH TRANSLATION

GP diagnosis and management of dementia: 1) I developed GPCOG, a brief screening tool designed specifically for primary care, now translated into 22 languages, available on line, adopted in several countries. 2) Program to improve GP diagnosis and management – face-to-face to 1000 GPs, e-learning modules to 2000 GPs, key articles in GP magazines

Management of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of dementia (BPSD): 1) Conceptualised model of how to organise services, adopted by Commonwealth and state; 2) led review of guide to management of BPSD -  print, online and App versions for clinicians, for carers

Improved quality of nursing home (NH) care: RCTs of a) humour therapy which demonstrated benefits & spawned Arts Health Institute now operating in >100 Nursing homes; b) Demonstrated that Person Centred Care reduced agitation with cost benefit, helped build case for use generally

Carers of people with dementia: first study to demonstrate reduced rate of NH admission following carer training program; emulated internationally.

Dangers of antipsychotics: first study to find increased risk of stroke with antipsychotics, led to finding higher mortality, black box warnings worldwide. Current study of deprescribing antipsychotics in nursing homes, widely quoted in media

Public forums: annual forum on healthy ageing and multiple public forums about research. Multiple media appearances, ≈monthly radio, TV and print.


Selected Publications

Journal articles

Lim ML; van Schooten KS; Radford KA; Menant J; Lord SR; Sachdev PS; Brodaty H; Delbaere K, 2020, 'The Iconographical Falls Efficacy Scale (IconFES) in community-dwelling older people-a longitudinal validation study.', Age Ageing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa213