Ageing and Aged Care

A caring future is one that can be measured by how well we care for those who are most vulnerable. The Caring Futures Institute has a very strong interest and footprint in making our aged care system the best in the world. And our research shows it could be, and it could be affordable, whilst meeting the quite complex needs of our diverse ageing community.

There are more than half a million people aged 85 years or older in Australia, and that number grows every year.

We are all going to get old, especially if we stay healthy through our middle years. So, everyone wants to know that they can grow old safely and be cared for with dignity and respect. If we have to get much support to stay home and still live a good life, then aged care becomes an important issue for the entire population. 

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has highlighted the many failings of the aged care system. Caring Futures Institute researchers have highlighted the high expectations of the community and the indicators of quality of life that many people want to see measured and met.

Our Research

Professor Julie Ratcliffe and her team have developed tools to drive improvements in quality of care and quality of life to put older people firmly at the centre of all discussions about aged care and its delivery, financing and outcomes. These tools have now been embedded in The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (the QI Program) to help aged care residential providers improve their service.

ARIIA – Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia – is an initiative of the Australian Government to shape the future of aged care delivery in Australia. Researchers at Flinders University brought together 73 stakeholders from across Australia to establish ARIIA.

Professor Lily Xiao and her team have been researching how to best provide care to people with dementia who are in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Professor Xiao has been working with the World Health Organization (WHO) iSupport for dementia translating this resource with partners across Australia and China.

Frailty and isolation can be a significant problem for some older people. Our researchers are identifying strategies to reduce the negative experiences of ageing with research to see if social eating can reduce loneliness, and to better identify frailty and its consequences for older people.

Flinders University Caring Futures Institute are proud to be the primary partner of the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA).

Read more about our aged care research

Our leading researchers in this field

Professor Stacey George

Stacey, a prominent occupational therapist and researcher, focuses on improving ageing interventions in care and community settings. She employs mixed methods to develop and evaluate programs, balancing qualitative and quantitative insights. Stacey has led national trials, state healthy ageing initiatives, and is a Fellow of the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy and a Matthew Flinders Fellow.

Professor Gillian Harvey

A recognised international expert in implementation science, Prof Harvey is a leader in the field of knowledge translation and implementing research evidence into policy and practice through enabling clinical and organisational behaviour change.

Professor Michelle Miller

Professor Michelle Miller leads the Flinders Aged Care Food and Nutrition team, who have been working to solve the wicked problems in this area for over ten years. Most recently the team has developed and rigorously tested a toolkit of questionnaires to assess the food service satisfaction of residents, their families and food service staff in aged care. This work is now being rolled out nationally.

Professor Julie Ratcliffe

An esteemed health economist, Julie leads research into quality of life for older people in aged care. Julie is developing tools to drive improvements in quality of care and quality of life to put older people firmly at the centre of all discussions about aged care and its delivery, financing and outcomes.

Professor Lily Xiao

With a deep understanding of cross-cultural nursing and aged care, Lily has been influential both locally in Australia and internationally in culturally-appropriate, quality aged care. Lily works in the challenging area of cognitive decline for people who are ageing in cultures that may not meet their specific language and cultural needs.

Professor Kate Laver

Kate's research aims to maximise independence and quality of life in older people and people with disabilities. She co-designs, develops, implements and evaluates rehabilitation interventions and new models of care.

CFI Researchers in this field

Professor John Coveney

Professor Michelle Miller

Associate Professor Lucy Lewis

Dr Joanne Murray

Dr Jyoti Khadka

Associate Professor Chris Barr

Dr Anita De Bellis

Dr Claire Hutchinson

Associate Professor Sebastian Doeltgen

Dr Maggie Killington

Dr Rachel Milte

Dr Alison Yaxley

Dr Christine Mpundu Kaambwa

Dr Mandy Archibald

Dr Michael Lawless

Dr Alejandra Pinero de Plaza

Partner with us

We can’t reinvent care alone. We need partners across industry, government, and the general public to co-design the projects and new support mechanisms. Let’s work together to understand the building blocks of care in our society.

We can make a difference together.
Be the change.

Collaborate with us