practical living
a real opportunity to engage? Or is
it potentially more about hearing a
familiar voice or discussions?
I think it’s both. For some people, it
was clear that they liked the talkback,
or a specific type of program, like a
morning show. It could be the fact
that the same radio presenter is giving
them information, such as the news,
and the weather, as well as having
that discussion.
People clearly know what they want
to listen to, and what they don’t want
to listen to. So while some people like
the discussion, and feel that talkback
is giving them a way of participating
in a conversation, other people don’t
necessarily like talkback but are still able
to have that connection to the voices
being heard on programs that are more
informational, or even through the voices
in songs that have lyrics.
How will you go about determining
whether listening to the radio
can help combat loneliness and
depression among older people?
Right now I’ve been undertaking a lot of
interviews, just chatting to people and
getting their experiences. And some
people did express their awareness of
using the radio to shift their mood. We
know that this is a reason often cited
by people young and old for listening
to music.
So sometimes people are making their
choices based on trying to shift their
mood, to be in a more positive mood or
perhaps be more energetic.
What I’m moving towards is the second
phase of the research. We have an online
survey right now – but it can also be
done on paper – asking questions about
radio preferences and music listening,
as well as questions on life satisfaction
and wellbeing.
Through this, we’ll be able to
gather more data and look at these
relationships.
And you’ll also be talking to the radio
personnel. What do you hope to
gather from those conversations?
This will be the next phase, which I’m
really excited about, because I will be
gathering all this data from listeners.
What I want to do is synthesise that
and then have discussions with radio
personnel to see if they’re making
choices and creating programming that
not only can address what listeners want,
but can also promote wellbeing.
And you’ll explore whether
what is played on the radio
makes a difference. Did your early
interviews reveal any insights into
preferences, or what are you
expecting to discover there?
The people I’ve spoken with so far have
definitely given me strong indications
of preferences in terms of genres of
music, different artists and bands, and
things like that. So at a fundamental
level, of course, people’s own personal
preferences are going to play a role.
And that extends to the type of
programming as well.
So searching for music or talkback
programs, or even arts and leisure
programs, or sporting events, is a big
feature that will be important.
But I think we also need to explore
the types of music to understand what’s
being played, and how that affects us.
So more research definitely needs to be
done, but then we’re taking steps in that
direction to explore the types of music
not only that people prefer, but also how
that’s connected to how they feel as a
result of listening to it.
So in the long term, what impact
do you hope these findings have
on potentially improving wellbeing
among older adults?
One of the great things about this
project is that it is a collaboration
People talk about
the radio providing
companionship ...
about not only having a
relationship listening to the
same presenters, but often
to a favourite program.
between myself, as researcher at the
University of Melbourne, but also in
collaboration with the Community
Broadcasting Foundation. And what
that allows us to do is put together
not only an academic report of the
findings, but also some fact sheets, like
a pamphlet you might find at the GP
about exercising more.
The idea is to put together an easy to
read, easy to disseminate information
sheet that carers and family members
can also use. It would be a way to
provide information back to the
community about how to listen and
explore radio with the goal of wellbeing
in mind. ■
2018 BETTER PRACTICE FOR THE FUTURE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Living the life I choose
Safety, health & wellbeing
22-24 August 2018
Sofitel Sydney
Wentworth
To register, visit: www.aacqa.gov.au/events
A gathering | A showcase | A conversation | A celebration
agedcareinsite.com.au 19