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Nationwide aged care study seeks to embed quality-of-life gains

Picture of Ritchelle Drilon

Ritchelle Drilon

Nationwide aged care study seeks to embed quality-of-life gains

Picture of Ritchelle Drilon

Ritchelle Drilon

A nationwide push to embed a new, evidence-based care approach across residential aged care homes is gaining momentum, thanks to research led by Dr Marta Woolford, who has received a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship to evaluate the Meaningful and Purpose-Centred Care (MPCC) Program.

In collaboration with community partner Regis Aged Care, Dr Woolford will conduct a comprehensive, organisation-wide assessment of the MPCC Program across Regis’ 68 Australian residential aged care facilities. Developed from her earlier research, the program focuses on person-centred, strength-based care that promotes dignity of risk and supportive, engaging environments.

“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to evaluate the MPCC Program with Regis,” Dr Woolford said. “We have been in partnership with Regis Aged Care for over a year to implement the MPCC Program into all their homes nationally, and Regis has invested significant resources into this.

“It is a privilege to be in partnership with an aged care provider that is committed to supporting their workforce to deliver consistent high-quality care to their residents.”

The three-year Fellowship will fund a quasi-experimental study to gauge how successfully the MPCC Program takes root in everyday practice. Dr Woolford will use Quality Indicator data from residential aged care homes to measure outcomes related to quality of life, falls, and residents’ ability to remain independent.

“Importantly, the Fellowship provides the platform to evaluate the strategies used to implement the MPCC Program, such as those used to deliver the education and training modules, the upskilling of champions, and making changes to indoor and outdoor spaces.”

Dr Woolford highlighted the common challenge of sustaining new initiatives in aged care. While many programs are introduced to meet recommendations from the Royal Commission, few are permanently established.

“Taking a program from a theory and implementing it into practice is very challenging and difficult. Many things in the implementation process can go wrong. This is why the Fellowship is so important as it will help us to understand the implementation strategies that worked or did not work, and provide an opportunity to refine them,” Dr Woolford said.

“This is a rare and valuable opportunity, that will support uptake and sustainability of the Program, as well as provide the evidence for an implementation roadmap that I hope to share broadly, to help the aged care sector meet government standards of delivering high-quality person-centred and safe care,” she added.

Guided by a team of experts—Associate Professor Darshini Ayton, Professor Janet Anderson, and Associate Professor Sze-Ee Soh—Dr Woolford aims to produce “impactful outcomes” backed by robust research in implementation science, human factors, and statistical analysis. A Consumer Advisory Committee will also be formed to ensure lived experiences shape the project.

“MPCC focuses on enhancing meaningful interactions in all touch points of care,” Dr Woolford said. “The approaches used in the Program are aimed to be implemented into everyday practice and involve all staff working in the home, including direct (such as personal care workers, registered nurses) and indirect (such as lifestyle teams, managers) care staff; and all residents.

“This all-inclusive approach ensures everyone works together to improve the quality of life for residents, and quality of care.”

Dr Woolford also underlined the importance of adequately supporting aged care staff.

“We also know that the workforce must be supported to deliver the high-quality care that is expected of them,” she said.

“One of the greatest strengths of the MPCC Program is that it aims to support meaningful strength-based engagement in staff’s everyday interactions with residents – to work alongside residents and to do things with them, not for them. I am looking forward to seeing the impact MPCC is having on residents, and to understanding and refining the implementation strategies to support sustainability. I am very appreciative that the Dementia Australia Fellowship supports this important work.”

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Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.

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