The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety deemed it a necessity for improved aged care services in Australia.
Finding solutions to improve aged care has far-reaching effects – from enabling earlier detection of pre-frailty and other debilitating health factors, to helping older people stay longer in their own homes and enjoy life to its fullest.
Aged care advances by Flinders
Flinders researchers are connected to over $52 million in funding to conduct multifaced research that addresses the complex issues in aged care. Flinders also leads the Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), a national research centre which focuses on addressing aged care workforce capability, technology innovation, collaborative research and providing trustworthy information for aged care workers, service providers, older Australians and their families.
Further advances are being made by Flinders’ Caring Futures Institute, a multi-discipline research team bringing together experts across health, social care, economics, public health and policy. This team of experts are helping to design national policies that steer aged care reforms, and design more affordable care options that meet the complex needs of our diverse ageing community.
Experts are combining evidence-based research with the input of aged care workers and older people with lived experience in aged care facilities. With their help, Flinders is addressing:
- Early identification and treatment of pre-frailty, which prevents avoidable hospital admissions.
- Improvements in mental health and wellbeing for those in aged care facilities.
- Reduction of social isolation, which can lead to diminished self-care, malnutrition, depression and complex mental health issues.
- Improved food provision in residential aged care, supporting the rights of older people to enjoy what they eat.
- Developing ways to support social aspects of dining for older people to alleviate loss of appetite and loneliness.
Having defined what ‘Quality of Life’ means for older people through extensive funded research, Professor Julie Ratcliffe and her team are now providing guidance around how to deliver improved quality of care for older Australians. They have developed new research tools that put older people at the centre of all discussions about aged care and its delivery, financing and outcomes.
“If there is going to be significant reform in the aged care sector, everyone in society - older people, their families, care providers, governments and the wider population – really needs to be involved in that process, and to own the transformation of this sector,” says Professor Ratcliffe. She noted that aged care interventions must uphold the dignity of older people at every instance.
How tech is making the home safer
Flinders is also working with the aged care industry to make the home a safer place for older people so they can continue to live independently and comfortably. This involves the assistance of smart technologies that provide reminders and alarms, and video communication and fall monitors to promote confidence and safety among aged people living in their own homes.
The Flinders Digital Health Research Centre, a multidisciplinary initiative, is also creating Australia’s first healthcare smart home. Professor Trish Williams describes it as an “intelligent assistive environment” that pays attention to a person’s health and wellbeing and measures aspects of their daily life relevant to health, embedded in the fabric of houses and apartments.
Changing the landscape for ageing
For older Australians who are experiencing cognitive decline, or whose first language is not English, there are increased issues that come with ageing. This is why Professor Lily Xiao and her team are researching how to best provide care for people with dementia and are in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This research is being conducted in Australia and in China, underlining the international impact of Flinders innovations that are making a profound difference to improve aged care.
The aged care workforce is also being examined, to address why staff burnout is so high in this employment sector. Realising that the strength of the aged care sector depends on a skilled, caring and enthusiastic workforce, Flinders is laying a foundation for a better future through guiding policy reform that will benefit workers and aged care residents. The sum of this important ongoing research is changing the landscape for ageing and the way we handle aged care for the future.
