ARIIA grant targets home care capability with tech

The National Ageing Research Institute and home care provider Silverchain have received almost $150,000 to implement technology-supported home-based care for older Australians.

The project is one of five winners in the first round of the Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia grants program announced this week. ARIIA Grants aim to support high-quality projects that address identified gaps in the aged care workforce’s capability and knowledge and lead to relevant translational research findings for the benefit of the aged care sector.

Integrating technology into the delivery of home care will help alleviate strain on the aged care workforce, said project lead, NARI Associate Professor Frances Batchelor.

“New thinking and solutions are required to bolster our aged care system. By adopting multidisciplinary methods for providing care, we can improve staff capacity and capability,” Associate Professor Batchelor said in a statement. “Technology isn’t a one-stop solution to the system’s problems, but it can be an incredibly valuable tool for carers when combined with traditional approaches.”

Silverchain director of research discovery Professor Tanya Davison said the use of technology to complement traditional face-to-face approaches offered enormous benefits to home care providers and their clients.

“This will provide older Australians with greater flexibility and choice, and transform the client experience,” Professor Davison said.  “Many technologies are readily available. This research will help the aged care sector to understand how to effectively implement technologies into routine care.

“We are committed to digitally enabled care, and Silverchain’s dedicated community aged care teams will participate in the project, with researchers drawing expertise from the experience, education, skills and knowledge of our frontline workforce,” she said.

‘High standard of applications’

ARIIA is a three-year $34 million research translation initiative established in 2021 and relaunched under its new name in August. It provides resources and assistance to the aged care workforce to deliver best practice care and support for older Australians through grants, innovation training, a partnering program and knowledge hub.

ARIIA research director Professor Sue Gordon said the grants would enable recipients to make a significant difference in the identified priority area.

“We had a very high standard of applications, and I am looking forward to seeing how the recipients can translate their research outcomes into practical, real-world solutions with efficiency and immediacy that is previously unheard of,” Professor Gordon said in a statement.

To help speed up the historically slow process of translating research discovery and evidence into practice, ARIIA Grant recipients must undertake their project over a 12-month period. That’s “so we can see how the research discoveries translate into real work changes, in real-time,” Professor Gordon said.

“ARIIA Grants allow aged care providers and research organisations to partner with others and work together to deliver improvements in areas of need, and by making a co-contribution they have a firm commitment in their project.”

The ARIIA Grants Program consists of at least six rounds and is funded against the key sector priorities of focus for the aged care sector. Those priorities, identified in consultation with the sector include:

• dementia care
• rehabilitation, reablement and restorative care
• mental health and wellbeing
• social isolation
• urgent and critical need.

Round 2 grant recipients will be announced soon. Round 3 is currently open, and applications close 18 November 2022.

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