We need to do better for our older Australians: here’s how
The number of ageing Australians is growing rapidly each year, and how we care for them must change. Now, new technology is keeping people in their homes longer, while methods to reduce care worker burnout are making a difference.
There are more than half a million people aged 85 years or older in Australia, and this number is growing every year.
Consequently, there are significant issues surrounding care for people living with dementia; this includes how care is delivered and workforce capability.
On top of this, fit-for-purpose aged care facilities require ongoing and complex research attention and new solutions.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety deemed it a necessity for improved aged care services in Australia – so finding solutions to improve how we do things is a must.
Improvements, such as enabling earlier detection of pre-frailty and other debilitating health factors, to help older people stay longer in their own homes and enjoy life to its fullest have far-reaching effects for all Australians.
Aged care advances by Flinders
Flinders researchers are connected to more than $52 million in funding to conduct multi-faced 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 that 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.
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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 is 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, Flinders 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,” Professor Ratcliffe says.
She noted that aged care interventions must uphold the dignity of older people at every instance.
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 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.
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, alarms, video communication and fall monitors to promote confidence and safety among older people living in their own homes.
The Flinders Digital Health Research Centre, a multi-skilled 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.
The sum of this important, ongoing research is changing the landscape for how we handle aged care in the future.
At Flinders University we are dedicated to finding solutions to complex challenges with research that matters. In the spirit of co-designing our research with community, we asked 30,000 Australians from across the nation to voice the problems that matter to them the most in their local communities, resulting in The Flinders Wicked Problems Report.
Read more here.
