Dr Antonia (Tania) Thodis

BSc (Hons Nutrition), MSc (Nutrition & Dietetics), PhD (Nutritional Epidemiology)

Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Research Fellow

After 15 years as a clinical dietitian, Tania transitioned to research dietetics facilitating randomised control trials (RCT) to test the traditional Med Diet pattern vs a standard care diet as a model for prevention and/or management of chronic diseases. Her research interests lie in combining evidence-based dietary patterns, cuisines, and lifestyle interventions to improve the health outcomes of adults in their advancing years.

In 2019, after completing her Ph.D., Tania joined NARI’s Social Gerontology division as a bilingual Greek-speaking researcher to work on the Moving Pictures Project and ADAPT short films for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. She is a Research Fellow and the Project Manager for the DrawCare study to facilitate the co-design of culturally adapted, multilingual digital resources and a randomized control trial to test these resources aimed at reducing carer burden and improving the quality of life for CALD family carers and their loved ones living with dementia. Tania is an advocate for improving diet quality to support older people living at home or, in residential aged care factoring in cultural background and traditional cuisines.

ResearchGate

MedWalk

MovingPictures

Drawing out care study

Email: [email protected]

Latest

Conversations on Ageing: Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC

We were honoured to host Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Prize Laureate, as our inaugural conversationalist on 22 June 2022. Watch the recording as Professor Doherty talks about how older people can contribute to public discourse on ageing and identity.
Conversations on Ageing: Ageism and Human Rights for Older People

Geraldine Doogue AO and Patricia Sparrow joined us as our conversationalists on 4 May 2023 to talk about human rights and ageing - watch the conversation here.
Wei-Hsuan (Michelle) Chiu

Michelle is a Research Assistant within the Aged Care Division of NARI. She is also a PhD candidate at the Melbourne Medical School of the University of Melbourne and holds an honorary position at Neuropsychiatry of the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Michael Tandora

Michael Tandora became a Director of the NARI Board in May 2023. He has practised as a commercial litigation solicitor since 2004. He is a Special Counsel at the Australian law firm Mills Oakley. He has also worked at international law firms Ashurst, Baker McKenzie and King & Wood Mallesons.

Wei-Hsuan (Michelle) Chiu

Michelle is a Research Assistant within the Aged Care Division of NARI. She is also a PhD candidate at the Melbourne Medical School of the University of Melbourne and holds an honorary position at Neuropsychiatry of the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Caitlin Tay

Caitlin is a Research Assistant within the Aged Care Division at NARI. She has a background in public health and is currently working on the IDC-IMPROVE research project.
Dr Bronwyn Dreher

Dr Bronwyn Dreher is a Research Assistant in the Clinical Gerontology Division at NARI. She is a registered Physiotherapist, with over 20 years of experience. Bronwyn’s current role is focused on supporting older people to maintain and improve their mobility and level of function, including through exercise.
Dr Marina Cavuoto

Dr Marina Cavuoto is a Clinical Neuropsychologist specialising in cognition in healthy ageing, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. She is a Senior Research Fellow at NARI. She manages the MINDSET study: Improving Interpreting For Dementia Assessments, and the No More Shame study on Elder abuse prevention.
Simona Markusevska

Simona is a Research Assistant with NARI working on the No More Shame and MINDSET projects. She has a background in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, and prior experience working in clinical trials.
Isabella Hall

Isabella Hall is a Research Assistant at NARI. She has a background in Social Sciences and Psychology and is currently working on the BEFRIENDAS research project. Isabella’s role involves speaking with residents about their mental and social wellbeing to collect quantitative and qualitative data.
Rachel Muoio

Rachel is a Research Assistant in the Social Gerontology division at NARI. Rachel has a passion for qualitative research and is experienced in both market and social research, having worked across a variety of specialised roles.
Dr Kham Tran

Dr Kham Tran is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the e-DiVA project. Kham is an experienced university lecturer and researcher in different contexts of Vietnam, South Korea and Australia.
Associate Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen

A/Prof Tuan Anh Nguyen is a Principal Research Fellow. His current research relates to the development and implementation of national dementia strategies with a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Amy Parker

Amy is a Research Fellow within the Clinical Gerontology Division at NARI. She leads NARI’s program of work for the Victorian Department of Health (DH) regarding older people policy.

Falls risk for older People in the community: FROP-Com

The Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com and FROP-Com Screen) are tools used in the community for assessment or screening of falls risk.
What is the Seniors Exercise Park?

The Seniors Exercise Park is an outdoor exercise equipment includes multiple stations specifically designed for older people to improve strength, balance, joint movements, mobility and function.
Indigenous Cognitive Assessment: Regional and Urban KICA

The regional and urban KICA is an instrument to assess dementia in older Aboriginal people in regional and urban settings.
Age-positive language guide

As part of our commitment to combatting ageism, NARI has developed an age-positive language guide. The guide provides practical examples of how words, phrases, and images can better portray older people and combat ageism.
Victorian falls and balance service directory

The Victorian Falls and Balance Service Directory provides details of the clinics and programs operated by public hospitals and community health services in Victoria for older people who have had a fall or are at risk of falling.
BEFRIENDAS

BEFRIENDAS investigates the impact of befriending on levels of depression, anxiety, social support and loneliness in older people living in residential aged care when provided by trained volunteers.
Grief in Older People and its Effect on Healthcare Use

Examines the effects of grief in older people on healthcare use from the perspective of (a) the older bereaved person who is experiencing grief and (b) GPs who are treating grieving older people.
Elder abuse and dementia

These three short films demonstrate how to respond where the carer abuses the person with dementia; where the person with dementia abuses their carer; and where there is unintended neglect related to advancing dementia. They were co-produced with providers and older people, with funding from the State Trustees Australia Foundation.
Mental health tips for aged care workers and managers

NARI has mental health tips and strategies to help aged care workers and managers best handle stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, to optimise wellbeing.
How to stay active at home - Exercises for older people

NARI's exercise videos can help older people stay active at home, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when you may not be as physically active outdoors. The exercises were developed by allied health professionals with expertise in exercise for older people.