Thank you from Tara
To: The HOPE Foundation and the Donors
Kia ora,
My name is Tara Puspitarini Sani, and I am deeply honoured to be a recipient of the HOPE Foundation Research on Ageing Scholarship for the third consecutive year. Learning that I have been selected once again fills me with gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose.
Your generosity has been pivotal in supporting my PhD journey. This scholarship has significantly alleviated financial pressures for the past two years, enabling me to focus on my studies, pay tuition fees, and participate in conferences to present my research to international audiences.
I am currently in the final stages of my PhD in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland. My project, "Empowering Dementia Carers with an iSupport Virtual Assistant (e-DIVA)," has progressed substantially. I’ve been collaborating with a group of family carers, dementia care professionals, and researchers to develop a website to support carers of people living with dementia in New Zealand (hosted at the e-DiVA website, https://ediva.org). Since early 2024, I have been running a pilot randomised controlled trial to evaluate the website's impact on carers’ stress levels and well-being. The trial will be completed by this February 2025, and so far we have received a lot of positive feedback from carers that this website will be very helpful to support new carers in navigating their journey in dementia care.
Being part of the HOPE Scholar community has been a source of inspiration and motivation. Interacting with other scholars who share their challenges and success reminds me of the collective impact we strive to achieve in improving the lives of older adults and their carers.
As I approach the completion of my PhD at the end of this year, I am hoping that after this study, we can make the e-DiVA website become publicly available to support carers on their journey of caregiving and love. This would not have been possible without the opportunities and encouragement provided by the HOPE Foundation.
Thank you once again for your generosity and belief in my work. Your support has made a profound difference, not only in my academic journey but also in my ability to contribute meaningfully to the field of ageing and dementia care.
Ngā mihi nui,
Tara Puspitarini Sani
You can also help by
- Spreading the word about what we do / share this newsletter
- Donating your time to the Friends Supporters to help with fundraising and committee work
- Encouraging your children and grandchildren to invest in their futures by donating time and money (a baby girl born today has a 1 in 3 chance of living to 100 , a boy 1 in 4 and is likely to be fitter and healthier–think about the implications of that)
- Consider a bequest