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The continuing changes in the aged care environment remind
us of the importance of continuing to update our resources to
ensure they are still meaningful and useful for the community. Over the last few months we
have been updating some of the aged care topics with new evidence. We are also
monitoring for new resources that can be added to our Resources database. We
have also been working closely with the Innovator Training Program to create
sharply focused sets of information on specific topics for use in Themed
Innovator Programs. The KIH team have also been leading a review of the ARIIA
website to help improve some layout and navigation issues. Keep an eye out for
a new home page that we will be releasing in the next month.
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And a big thank to all the people who have been involved in the research projects we have been carrying out on the role of online knowledge in the aged care sector. We are finalising the analysis and will be looking at how to use this to improve the KIH.
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Themed ITP: Workplace Retention |
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It can be difficult to identify just one problem to solve in your workplace. The ARIIA ITP team introduced Themed ITPs so that individual innovators could work on a common issue in the sector. Workforce issues have emerged as critical in aged care given increasing demand for care and services, a tightening of the labour market, and the changing shape of employment in Australia. The need for a skilled and capable workforce is articulated in Standard 7 of the current aged care standards and in Standards 2.8 and 2.9 of the proposed revised and strengthened standards. Workforce retention focuses on what services and teams can do to build a culture and an environment that helps staff to continue to grow within the organisation.
The Knowledge and Implementation Hub team have been bringing together information and resources to support innovative approaches to retain aged care workers. For those undertaking the Themed ITP, these resources will help participants increase their awareness of what is happening and learn about new approaches to support and retain staff. These resources will support the learning materials provided by the ITP which cover more general processes around change management. They can also be used by individuals and services who want to learn more about workforce issues or who are thinking about quality improvement in their organisation. Four key sets of materials have been developed: - Understanding the workforce cycle
Workforce retention focuses on what services and teams can do to build a culture and an environment that helps staff to continue to grow within the organisation. Growing and retaining your workforce can be helped by understanding the workforce cycle which goes from attracting and onboarding staff through supporting and developing staff to staff completing their employment journey.
- Workforce initiatives and supports
This set of resources looks at Australian initiatives related to workforce growth and satisfaction can be valuable in attracting and retaining staff.
- Retention Strategies
Published research and project reports provide a range of different strategies that services can use to build a culture that supports staff and increases their commitment to the organisation. A handy retention checklist can prompt service action.
- Self-care and staff burnout
The aged care workforce has been under pressure for many years. Workforce redesign has already been identified as important in helping staff to thrive. While self-care is important in supporting individual workers, staff burnout looks to the organisation’s role in reducing stress and burden.
There are also PubMed searches to connect you to published research and a curated set of materials included in the KIH Resources Collection.
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What do we know about our web data and why does it matter? |
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Data plays an important role in decision-making. On the
ARIIA website, we have implemented web analysis tools to provide insights into
website performance and user engagement. These tools enable us to better
understand our website content in relation to user behaviour and engagement,
helping to improve our research studies and enhance user experience.
The following chart shows monthly usage data collected for
the period January- May 2024. This indicates that the number of web users visiting
KIH web pages has increased each month with an average of 6,133 page views per
month (includes repeated views). This suggests that there is continuing
interest in the KIH content.
Popularity of specific pages in the KIH indicates
that that the KIH resource section is one of the most visited pages. To better
understand which resources are being viewed by users, we used a filtering
analytic tool to examine the most frequently sort resources held in the
section. Meaningful lifestyle activities and dementia care are the two most frequently
sought sets of resources. The data also demonstrates significant interest in the Themed ITP resources. Usage reflects the impact
of promotional activities. The data also tells us that users can filter by the
type of content such as videos or education modules.
We will continue to use data and analytics tools to help us
understand our users better and improve users experience and research content
development.
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KIH Evaluation
Research Study: Unpacking the views of the aged care sector on what drives the
search for information
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The Knowledge and Implementation Hub has been conducting several evaluation studies to assess the use and access of online information resources developed for the aged care sector. One of the studies is a qualitative research study using focus group and semi structured interviews to identify the information needs of Australian aged care. This research focused on what drives their search for information, as well as their preferred information sources, format, and methods of information presentation.
Participants for this study included three distinct groups
of aged care consumers (home care recipients, residents, family, and older
people), aged care workforce (care workers, nurses, and ancillary staff), and
aged care service providers. The focus groups and interviews with these
participants were held online via MS Teams, from November 2023 and completed in
March 2024.
Preliminary themes have been identified across all groups.
These were aged care organisational mandates and needs, challenges of ageing,
need for resources, and characteristics of information (including design and
format, accessibility and channels) best suited for each group. These themes
will be used by KIH to evaluate its current contents and inform future
resources and products that will have the potential to contribute to better
aged care services in Australia.
We thank the participants of our research study for their
valuable contribution in our focus groups and interviews. We hope to continue
engaging with the aged care sector and our users to ensure we develop tailored
and fit-for-purpose services and products.
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Rehabilitation and Reablement - Roundtable review |
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In November 2023, ARIIA’s Knowledge and Implementation Hub (KIH) held National Aged Care Rehabilitation and Reablement roundtables to understand the complexities of embedding such approaches into aged care.
We were joined by 11 stakeholders from across Australia with a range of expertise, from aged care management, wellness and reablement to social workers, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists.
Discussions identified that embedding rehabilitation and reablement into daily aged care was limited by variable terminology, funding systems, inequalities, ageism, perceptions and expectations, and the aged care workforce.
We discussed significant changes in the expectations and
demands on aged care services over the last decade, as previously, older people
entered residential aged care whilst still being able to drive their own cars. Aged
care residents are now older, frailer, and more dependent on support services
than ever before. Families and advocates are therefore expecting aged care to support
loved ones to regain physical function and maintain a good quality of life.
To support rehabilitation and reablement in future aged care
services, attracting and educating a skilled workforce was recommended. As was
the development of practical resources to explain, promote, and reinforce
reablement in everyday activities to improve the quality of lives for older Australians.
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These discussions will continue on Thursday the 4th
of July at the 2024 ARIIA conference, ‘Ageing well – social care, allied
health and prevention’ with Hilary O’Connell, Rik Dawson and Professor
Stacey George.
For more information you can view the full conference program
and KIH Rehabilitation,
reablement and restorative care resources. A full report of these
roundtable findings will be published later this year.
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How can the Hub support you in your work? |
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The Hub provides access to research evidence and quality resources on common aged care topics.
Whatever your role in the aged care sector--service provider, nurse, allied health professional, or aged care worker--you will find valuable information for your practice. Even older people and their family and friends may find some useful information in the Hub. However, we know that to create change we need to understand what processes can support change.
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We’re coming together again for the
highly anticipated and must-attend 2024 ARIIA conference.
Join us for two days of inspiring debate and thought-provoking
conversations from the best and sharpest minds from several sectors across the
aged care ecosystem, who want to make a real impact on positive ageing. Early bird now open!
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How you can support the Hub |
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All of you have knowledge, skills and insights about aged care and how we can use evidence to change practice. We would like to invite you to share your research projects, suggest resources related to the aged care topics, offer to write a Knowledge Blog, or indicate your willingness to be involved with one of the Evidence Advisory Groups. You can also provide feedback in one of the various response forms within the Knowledge and Implementation Hub.
We are keen to build a community of knowledge practitioners who not only build the knowledge base but support its use in practice. Email us at
kih@ariia.org.au and share your knowledge and insights.
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KnowledgeConnect is the quarterly newsletter from the ARIIA Knowledge and Implementation Hub . Designed to bring you an informative read on the latest aged care research, Australian aged care projects, and ways you can use evidence in your personal practice and within your organisation.
KnowledgeConnect is the fastest way to stay in touch with aged care evidence and how to move it into practice. If you have been forwarded this email, click the button below to subscribe today.
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