Healthy 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. 

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. 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.

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 were contracted by the Royal Commission to research community expectations and opinions of quality in aged care and how much they would be willing to pay for that level of quality. It turns out, quite a lot.

Professor Sue Gordon and her colleagues in the ACH Group are working on how to improve services and care to older people. One way is to harness technology to make the home safer and an easier place to be when you are not as able as you used to be. My Smart Home is a great example of how we work with aged care organisations to research solutions in partnership.

Ageing in Australia can be challenging for many people, but it is sometimes made more so when your first language is not English, and you may be experiencing some cognitive decline. 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 conducts her research in Australia and in China, so our expertise has international impact.

Frailty and isolation can be a significant problem for some older people. Two of 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.

Read more about our aged care research

Our leading researchers in this field

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 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 Sue Gordon

As the Research Director of Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), Sue works with aged care providers and the community to optimise ageing, aged care, and the effective use of technology. She has developed numerous collaborative partnerships across the aged care sector to improve the translation of evidence into practice and support better ageing for Australians.

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.

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