Sleep in hospital and aged care - the elephant in the room (plenary session)
| Saturday, November 14, 2026 |
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Details
This session will focus on sleep disturbance in the paediatric and adult hospital environment and aged care settings. The strong evidence for sleep disruption and the underlying causative factors will be outlined. The detrimental effects of poor sleep on health and recovery will be presented as well as the latest research on to how to improve sleep in these populations and settings. The presentations will cover the spectrum from paediatric wards, to adult acute medical wards, geriatric rehabilitation wards and residential aged care facilities. Local researchers will present their latest findings and update the audience on what they can do to recognise sleep disturbance and improve sleep in their local hospital and aged care environments.
Speaker
Dr Moya Vandeleur
Paediatric Respiratory And Sleep Specialist
The Royal Children's Hospital
Sleep in hospitals - paediatric perspective
9:00 AM - 9:18 AMBiography
Dr Moya Vandeleur is a paediatric respiratory and sleep medicine specialist at RCH, Melbourne and the lead for sleep research. She is the clinical lead for the RCH ventilation service and co-authored "Ventilatory support at home for children: A joint position paper from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand/Australasian Sleep Association" (Respirology, 2021).
Assoc Prof Alan Young
Physician
Eastern Health
Sleep in hospitals - adult perspective
9:18 AM - 9:36 AMBiography
Alan Young is Head of Sleep Services at Eastern Health in Melbourne and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Monash University. He is a past ASA President and the current Chair of the GP Education Subcommittee, implementing sleep education programs for thousands of GPs. His research interests include studying sleep in hospitals, simplified models of OSA care and the relationship between pain and sleep for which he has attracted independent grant funding and collaborated widely with current clinical trial activity in all of these areas.
Ms Olivia Ogilvy Dunstan
Phd Candidate
University of Queensland
Sleep in the geriatric rehabilitation setting
9:36 AM - 9:54 AMBiography
Olivia Dunstan is a final year PhD candidate at The University of Queensland, whose research focuses on sleep quality in older adults undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. Her doctoral research investigates the prevalence and predictors of poor sleep in hospitalised older adults, with a particular focus on the influence of the sensory environment, including light and sound. Olivia’s work also explores the feasibility of a co-designed multi-component non-pharmacological intervention aimed at improving sleep within rehabilitation settings.
Assoc Prof Melinda Jackson
Associate Professor
Monash University
Disrupted nights, diminished days: Sleep health and solutions in residential aged care
9:54 AM - 10:12 AMBiography
Associate Professor Melinda Jackson is Deputy Director of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University. She leads the Sleep & Brain Health Research Group, and is a registered Psychologist and Fellow at the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health. Her research examines the impact of sleep disorders on cognition, mood and brain health, and explores the feasibility and efficacy of novel treatment approaches to address sleep issues on daytime functioning in community and clinical populations.
Prof Robert Adams
Professor Of Respiratory And Sleep Medicine
Flinders University
Chair
Biography
Ms Teanau Roebuck
Principal Sleep Scientist
Alfred Care / Bayside Health
Chair
Biography
