SECG blog

Showcasing the work of AAG SECG members

 

Welcome to this month's AAG SECG blog, where we have the pleasure of showcasing the extraordinary work of three SECG members! If you would also like to showcase your gerontology/geriatrics research or work, please contact the SECG.

6 June 2023.

Do transition care programs support older adults' return to physical activity following hospital stay?

Dr Claire Gough

Lecturer at Flinders University / Research Fellow at ARIIA

Twitter: @ClaireGough12

 

Returning home from hospital is an uncertain time. Many older people have difficulty carrying out everyday activities and are readmitted to hospital. In Australia, Transition Care packages (TCPs), are provided to support older adults return home with services such as nursing, physiotherapy, and shopping assistance to help them get back on their feet.

TCPs intend to reduce hospital readmission rates and premature entry into residential aged care, yet readmission rates remain high, and little is known about how these services support older adults to return to their previous activities. Therefore, our research aims to find out if TCP services support older adults to be physically active when returning home from hospital. This information will help to inform future services that support older adults to return home.

To find out more, you can read our published case study here: Gough C, Hutchinson C, Barr C, Maeder A, George S. (2021). Transition from hospital to home during COVID-19: A case report from an Australian transitional care program. The Allied Health Scholar, 2(1), 1-19. 

 

Digital storytelling to facilitate consumer engagement in healthcare research

Dr Debbie Pu

Research Fellow, Monash University

Website: research.monash.edu/en/persons/debbie-pu

 

It's important to involve everyone in research and try to give people a say, even if not everyone has the types of background and initial knowledge that makes it easy for them to understand the research.

The easiest and direct ways to convey research background information to lay people are words on a piece of paper or from a researcher’s explanations. But these efforts could be improved by making the message more attention grabbing and multimedia.

This study provided the same information about a complex health care problem to 20 older adults, half read a written document, half watched an animated video with voice over. People who watched the video requested clarifications less than people who read the same information in a written document.

This finding suggests that researchers can consider using multimedia methods to engage people in research to convey information more efficiently and interestingly. 

 

Factors impacting hospital avoidance program utilisation in the care of acutely unwell residential aged care facility residents

Dr Luke Testa

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Macquarie University

Twitter: @lukegtesta

 

Hospital avoidance programs deliver rapid care to people at risk of hospitalisation. Healthcare professionals were interviewed to explore their views on using an existing hospital avoidance program in the care of unwell aged care facility residents.

Five key themes influencing program use were identified:

(1) cognitive impairment and end of life care can be effectively managed in aged care facilities;

(2) family needs and expectations can influence where and how residents are treated;

(3) program enablers include providing rapid treatment to residents, coordination of care across services, and good relationships with other providers;

(4) program barriers relate to the small number of program staff and a lack of after-hours support; and

(5) the program adapted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through expanding telehealth use, coronavirus planning and management activities, and employing more staff.

Understanding the factors that influence hospital avoidance program use may aid in  developing future programs.