Our Research
UnitingCare Community Options has a strong history of supporting and promoting research-based practice. This support carries through into our current partnership with Deakin University and our work on the People at Centre Stage project and development of a new model of support for older people.
Our first pilot program was an innovative new approach developed on the basis of research demonstrating the failure of the aged-care system of the time to meet the needs of older people in the community. Since then, research has remained integral to our approach and we've been involved in a broad range of projects to support research in the fields of Ageing and Disability.
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
In April 2006, UnitingCare Community Options and Deakin University established a formal research partnership as a means to facilitate research into improving the quality of life of care recipients and carers who receive support through community care services. The partnership jointly funds a Senior Research Fellow responsible for building the research capacity of the partnership. In addition, the partnership employs a number of project staff funded through competitive grants.
The main aim of the UCCO/Dearkin Research Partnership is to generate a research program that will
- lead to improvements in the quality of practice and in the delivery of services in community care generate new products to improve practice, governance, and quality standards;
- inform UCCO's advocacy agenda; and
- help shape UCCO's contribution to the development of government policies and programs.
Visit Research Partnership website
CURRENT RESEARCH AGENDA
The current research agenda focuses on the broad themes of:
(1) Community Aged Care and
(2) Community Disability Support and Care.
Community Aged Care
Our research work in the area of Community Aged Care focuses on a theme of resilience. At present, the research program focuses on the following areas and projects:
a) Interfaces between Acute, Primary, and Community Care
- Enablers and barriers for communication in Community Aged Care (short project looking at the communication flow between acute patients and community aged care practitioners)
- Advance care planning
- Transition care
b) Service Models and Modalities of Community Care
- People at Centre Stage - PACS (a 3-year project focusing on consumer-directed community aged care)
- Successful ageing: Fostering Resilience in Aged Care (short project identifying the factors that supported the resilience of older people)
- Enabling Risk Management and Self-Directed Community Aged Care
c) Transitions In- and Out- of Community Care
Community Disability Support and Care
The research agenda underpinning this stream is currently being explored through a stakeholder consultation round in collaboration with NDS Victoria. It is expected that this consultation round will yield a list of topics that can be translated into research projects.
In addition, we are currently in the process of developing research focusing on
