Silverchain’s Director of Research Discovery, Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison, has been awarded the 2026 Paul Johnson Positive Ageing Award, recognising her national leadership in improving mental health care for older Australians.
The award honours individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation and impact in promoting positive ageing.
Adj Prof Davison was recognised for leading the research and development of Silverchain’s Enhanced Management of Home-Based Elders with Depression (EMBED) program – a first-of-its-kind model of care designed specifically for older people with symptoms of depression and anxiety receiving aged care at home.
Silverchain’s EMBED model of care integrates workforce training, early identification and tailored psychological support into routine home care, addressing a critical gap in Australia’s aged care system where depression and anxiety are often under-recognised and untreated.
Adj Prof Davison said the award is a great honour and reflects a growing recognition that building capacity, early detection, and treatment of mental health must be a core part of aged care.
“Depression remains one of the most common – but poorly managed – health issues in older Australians,” Adj Prof Davison said.
“Our research shows that 60 per cent of older Australians receiving in home care experience symptoms of depression or anxiety. Without the right support, their symptoms go unnoticed.
“Early intervention is critical – if we can better support aged care workers to recognise mental health concerns early through better training, provide evidence-based treatments, we can help people stay at home longer, ease pressures on families, and prevent unnecessary visits to hospital,” Adj Prof Davison said.
More than 2,400 Silverchain staff have completed the workforce training, Foundations in Mental Health, and Silverchain has published this training, at no cost, to the broader aged care sector to share the learnings. The EMBED program has also delivered strong results for older people, with participants reporting reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improved motivation to engage in daily life.
The EMBED program was made possible through a $2 million grant from the Medical Research Future Fund and Silverchain Foundation and is being delivered in collaboration with 15 leading clinical researchers from seven Australian universities, including Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology and Flinders University.
The Paul Johnson Positive Ageing Award is named in honour of Paul Johnson OAM, a visionary leader who transformed aged care and is sponsored by not-for-profit aged care provider BallyCara, where Paul worked for more than ten years. It recognises outstanding contributions to enhancing wellbeing, independence and dignity for older Australians.
Picture (supplied, Australian Ageing Agenda): Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison (left) and Marcus Riley, Executive Chairman, BallyCara.
