$3m awarded for new health care in the home research centre

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has awarded $3 million for a new research centre being set up to help older Australians live at home longer. Hosted at Flinders University and led by Flinders’ Professor Gillian Harvey, the Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Optimising Health Care in the Home for Older Australians will work to accelerate improvements in care coordination, health outcomes and system sustainability — bringing together a transdisciplinary team of national and international experts.

“For the first time ever, Australia has a larger cohort of older people being cared for in their own homes than in institutions, and we know that’s where most would prefer to stay,” said Professor Harvey, Matthew Flinders Professor of Health Services and Implementation Research in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

“We must ensure our health and aged care systems are equipped to support this choice. This population is among the frailest in our society, with complex care needs and high rates of hospitalisation,” Harvey added. “Our Centre will develop practical, evidence-based strategies to help them live safely and independently at home for longer.”

Professor Gillian Harvey. Source: Flinders University

A consortium of leading institutions — including the Registry of Senior Australians, the National Ageing Research Institute and Deakin University — will support the CRE, which will also work alongside a network of health and aged care providers and consumer organisations. Key projects of the CRE will include: digital tools to prevent falls and injuries, microlearning programs for aged care workers, shared-care models to improve transitions between hospital and home, and the use of big data to profile the population receiving aged care and characterise successful aging at home.

“Our Centre will work with consumers, carers, clinicians, providers and policymakers to co-design solutions that are feasible, scalable and sustainable,” Harvey said. “We will use data, lived experience and implementation science to drive continuous improvement in a sector that so desperately needs it. Our goal is to ensure older Australians receive safe, equitable and effective care — wherever they live — while reducing the demand on the resource-constrained health system.”

An Aged Care Observatory will also be established at the CRE, to monitor care pathways and outcomes in real time. Additionally, it will invest in building research capacity, offering fellowships, scholarships and training programs for clinicians, early and mid-career researchers, and lived experience experts.

“Led by our Caring Futures Institute, Flinders is at the forefront of research that aims to improve how Australians live, no matter their age, translating research and expertise into real-world solutions,” said Professor Raymond Chan, Flinders University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

“This Centre addresses one of the concerns highlighted in the Flinders Wicked Problems Report, through which we surveyed 30,000 Australians,” Chan added. “It also directly responds to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and aligns with major reforms under the new Aged Care Act and the Support at Home program, coming into effect later this year.

“As we continue to build upon our Flinders Ageing Alliance, this is a timely and transformative investment in the future of aged care, and I’m proud to see it find its place at Flinders.”

Top image credit: iStock.com/DMP