Research Projects

Dr Marianne Coleman Dementia Eyecare Pathway
This project aims to help people living with dementia see well so they can live well, stay active, and remain socially connected for as long as possible. Good vision supports brain health, yet many people with dementia in residential aged care miss out on regular eye tests and appropriate eyecare, despite many vision problems being preventable or treatable. The project will develop a dementia eyecare pathway — a clear, coordinated approach that ensures eye health, comfort, and vision needs are recognised and addressed. By working with all those involved in dementia care, the pathway will support equitable access to eyecare in residential aged care and help ensure that everyone’s right to sight is upheld.
Key publications
Breaking down barriers to accessing dementia-friendly eyecare
Eyecare as a primary need for people living with dementia
Listen to Marianne’s interview on the “Is this dementia?” podcast.  Click here to listen

Symon Braun Freck Who Mediates Death? Doulas, Death-Tech, and the Future of End-of-Life Care
Symon’s research examines the rise of non-conventional third-party mediators in contemporary Western end-of-life care, specifically death doulas and digital pre-planning technologies, exploring how both operate alongside and outside the medical and funeral industry to shape autonomy, personalization, and decision-making for dying individuals and their loved-ones. Rooted in Symon’s personal experience with death care and informed by Thanatology, the work traces how death shifted from a home-based practice to a professionalized industry over the past century, and how movements like the Death Positivity movements have sparked a reclamation of that intimacy. The thesis analyzes death doulas, an ancient community-based role, and a growing ecosystem of death-tech companies offering advance care planning, estate, and funeral tools, noting that both exist in largely unregulated spaces. Symon’s work seeks to fill a gap in Thanatechnology scholarship by examining the cultural and ritual dimensions of these emerging mediators side by side, and contributing new insight into how they intersect in the evolving Western death care landscape.

Sahaya Jesto Co-designing Workforce-responsive Education for the Management of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD)
This project addresses a critical priority in aged mental health and aged care. BPSD present complex clinical, emotional, and ethical challenges, and ongoing national reforms have highlighted persistent gaps in nursing education, confidence, and practice readiness. Using a mixed-methods approach, this PhD research examines nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences across care settings and places co-design at the centre of educational development by actively engaging nurses, dementia experts, academics, and stakeholders. Guided by a person-centred, trauma-informed, and capability-focused framework, the research aims to generate evidence-based, contextually relevant educational interventions that strengthen workforce capability, inform policy, and support the delivery of safe, dignified, and high-quality dementia care.

Mahika Rai Dementia Eye Care Pathway for Residential Aged Care
Assisting with engagement and communication activities for the Dementia Eye Care Pathway project, led by Dr Marianne Coleman, which aims to improve access to regular eye care and management of vision needs for people living with dementia in residential aged care.