Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit (DMHDRU)

Phase 38 Assessment

Invitation from the Director to Study Members to take part in the Age 38 Assessment Phase

Dear Study member,

I am delighted that we have launched our next major assessment phase at age 38 (Phase38). Like everyone these days, we too have experienced some significant funding cuts, but we will nevertheless endeavour to remove all barriers to your participation, as we have done in the past. We appreciate how busy life is at 38, juggling work, family, finances and everything else. To accommodate this, we will be running the phase for 20 months to ensure maximum flexibility to suit your needs. I am very excited about Phase 38 as we have a number of new and interesting assessments, and look forward to seeing you then.

The age 38 assessments commenced on 1 June 2010 and will run through to April 2012 (excluding public holidays), and you are warmly invited to attend on a date convenient to you during that time-frame. Please see below for information on procedures and arrangements for attending Phase 38.

Kind regards.

Richie Poulton
DIRECTOR

Explanation of Procedures and Consent Forms

A copy of the Explanation of Procedures and Consent Form can be downloaded as PDFs. Please bring the Consent Form with you on your assessment day, or return it with your Booking Form if you wish.

Making your Appointment

Please complete an Appointment/Travel Booking Form indicating your preferred appointment day and any travel requirements you may have. As at age 32, we have more flexibility around when we need to see you. However, we strongly prefer you book your appointment within nine months of your 38th birthday. We will send you an appointment card when we confirm your booking. We would like to see you for a whole day, from 8.25 a.m. sharp to about 5.15 p.m.

We would prefer to see you during the working week, Monday to Friday. If this is not possible, we do plan to have some Saturday assessments (the first and third Saturdays of each month).

If you have or are parenting a teenager who will be15 or 16 during Phase 38, please click here for an invitation from the Next Generation Study which may be of special interest.

Accommodation in Dunedin

If you need somewhere to stay, we can book you into our preferred accommodation provider’s hotel (Quality Hotel Cargills) for dinner, bed and breakfast for one/two nights (New Zealand-based Study members) or up to three nights (Australian/Overseas Study members) as necessary.

We can pay accommodation and meal costs for the Study member only. However, depending on the room configuration available, it may be possible to accommodate some extra family members in the room at no extra cost. If you wish to stay longer at your own expense, the accommodation provider is happy to extend to you the special room and meal rates offered to us, for the duration of your stay.

Travel

Study members living in New Zealand but outside Dunedin will need to travel the day or evening before the assessment. Those living overseas will need to allow sufficient travel time to arrive at least one day before their appointment and, if travelling long distances, to recover from “jet lag”.

Travel By Bus/Car

If you live outside the Dunedin metropolitan area in Otago, Southland or Canterbury and wish to travel by bus, please make the necessary bookings and we will reimburse you for your fares. It is essential you bring your tickets with you to the Unit for reimbursement purposes.

Similarly, should you prefer to drive to Dunedin, we will reimburse your travel costs to the value of the lesser amount of either the University’s per km rate for use of private vehicles or the price of a smart-saver return airfare from your place of origin.

Travel By Air

Please do not make your own travel bookings, without first discussing your plans with the Travel Co-ordinator, Bron Driver ( Phone: +64 3 479 8508 or 0800 479 8508; Email: bron.driver@otago.ac.nz ).

If you require flights to Dunedin, please complete the travel section of the Booking Form, noting any preferences or special requirements you may have, and return it to us in the enclosed reply-paid envelope or by email to bron.driver@otago.ac.nz.

We will make the booking for you, taking the most direct route available from your departure point to Dunedin.

For overseas-based Study members, should you want a different route to the most direct one we have sourced and/or extra stop-overs, we are happy to book this for you but you will have to pay any difference in costs. There is no time limit on how long you may stay in Dunedin. We want you to enjoy your visit.

We are happy to co-ordinate air travel for anyone who might be accompanying you to Dunedin. However, as facilitating these bookings can take longer to organise, please complete the appropriate section on the Booking Form and let us know as soon as possible if you wish us to do this.

Feel free to give specific flight details if you have access to domestic and overseas timetables.

We will post or email your itinerary and electronic ticket (ET) once the bookings are finalised.

Airport Shuttles And Buses

Please use shuttle services wherever possible as taxi costs are astronomical. For Dunedin airport shuttles, the cost per person can vary from $10.00-$30.00 one way, dependent on the number of passengers using the shuttle, i.e. the more people on board, the cheaper the cost!). We will reimburse the reasonable costs of the Study Member only upon production of receipts.

Getting time off work

We have prepared a letter for your employer addressed “To Whom it May Concern”. You may wish to give this letter to your employer when asking for time off to attend the Study. This letter is also available as a pdf for downloading.

Child care

If you have children and wish to bring them with you on the day of your appointment, we will have facilities available for the children to be cared for on-site at the Unit, usually on Fridays. However, child-care may be available on other days if there is sufficient demand. Click here to read the Baby-Sitting Service Infosheet . This is also available as a pdf for downloading.

If you do not wish to bring your children to the Unit but need to make special childcare arrangements, we may be able to assist with these arrangements.

Please contact us and discuss any special requirements. We will do everything possible to allow you to come to the Unit.

Parking

We have limited parking available. Please indicate on the booking form or let us know in advance that you wish to reserve a car park.

Reimbursements

We are able to offer the following to help reimburse you for your time:

Standard reimbursement for everyone who comes to the Unit for Assessment	$75.00
Additional reimbursement for keeping the appointment and being on time	$25.00
Additional reimbursement for agreeing to be a “standby” person who comes to the Unit at short notice (Dunedin residents only).	$25.00

As already mentioned, you will also be reimbursed for any travel or other expenses incurred in coming to the Unit (e.g. bus fares, departure tax), but please note that receipts are essential for these reimbursements. You will be reimbursed by cash or cheque at the end of the assessment day.

Lunch

Lunch will again be provided.

How to contact us

If you are unsure of anything or have any questions, please get in touch. We can be contacted by telephone from 8.00 a.m. until 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, or leave a message on our voice mail. Our telephone numbers in Dunedin are:

Free phone: 0800 479 8508
Overseas: 0064 3 479 8508 (Please call us collect)

Bron Driver, the Interview & Co-ordinator (8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.), and Carol Mackie, the Cohort Tracer (4.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m.), are the people responsible for bookings. Other Unit staff are always available to help.

Or you can contact us by email.

We look forward to seeing you during the age 38 assessment phase.