Project Overview
Today’s ageing consumer is only somewhat independent and empowered but tomorrow’s ageing consumer will be more plentiful, powerful and demand independence for longer. The change is partly generational (War generation to Boomers) and the associated lifestyles; part will be the increased number of ageing people; and part will be access to increased knowledge and resources. If 80% of ageing people already want to age in their own home (Aged Care Royal Commission, 2021) then we can expect more people to make it happen in the future.
Australia’s new Aged Care Bill (2024) supports the introduction of new Support at Home Programs. These programmes extend the types and levels of support available, top funding levels that are more generous (allowing more customised support for person centred care (PCC) plans) and introduce a mandatory care partner to advise the consumer. But they also place more control in the hands of the provider selected by each consumer who then is responsible for all services including providing the care partner. The program has removed the option for consumers to accumulate funds for later use, and has introduced additional co-payments for Everyday Living and Independence services (not clinical) depending on income and assets (Support at Home Program, 2025). These changes are likely to be positive for the public purse but increased flexibility is doubtful due to reduced autonomy and less empowerment of self-management for consumers. Co-payments may also reduce usage by middle-high (excluding very high income who are unlikely to use this program) income consumers who see no advantage in the government system until their need for clinical services is high.
This project focuses on ageing consumer attitudes toward, and experience of, these support programmes (services) intended to help ageing people to Age in Place (AinP). It is possible that public support programs will be less accepted and accessed by the emerging ageing consumer and that they will need innovation in living arrangements, non-clinical products and services, community and family support, clinical support, etc., to feel in-control and able to AinP. This project is intended to be a starting point to explore this phenomena and can be tackled in a range of different ways.
Aims
1. To reveal the AinP expectations and experiences of varied older age groups, and their perceptions of the existing AinP support programs in Australia.
2. To derive evidence backed models for self-managed AinP & the eco-system required to support people to create and maintain their version of Quality of Life (“a life worth living” – Kane).
3. To consider these in the context of theories of person centred care, public funding models, autonomy and self-efficacy, stakeholder groups and QoL.
Objectives
At least some of the following:
1. To reveal and compare support expectations and likely approaches (visions of) to AinP of 1. existing aged care consumers, to 2. emerging aged care consumers (consumers refers to the recipient of the support and their stakeholder including informal carers, decision makers, guardians, etc).
2. To explore what eco-system elements might support future visions of AinP.
3. To explore consumer appetite for more autonomous, self-managed AinP, expectations/requirements and perceived barriers.
4. To explore what enablers/steps of self-management need to be put in place early in the ageing process – including developing a plan to enable future vision of AinP.
5. To explore whether self-management positively contributes to QoL.
Significance
A primary issue with Aged Care in Australia is a lack of QoL for users of the services. Since the Aged Care Royal Commission (2021), the government has introduced QoL, wellbeing and resident experience surveys (in Residential Care – expected to be extended to AinP) to better assess the broader experience of aged care services. This has revealed that the institutionalised nature of providing care, ResCare services contributes to loss of empowerment and purpose, which decreases quality of life. This partly explains why so many Australians would prefer to Age in Place – but how do we ensure that the institutionalisation, conformance and disempowerment is minimised for AinP programs? This project will contribute insights to this emerging phenomenon and help to develop processes, programs and infrastructure to support QoL.
Internship
As part of this project, the student will be encouraged to undertake an internship opportunity with a service provider or regulator. Through this placement, the student will have the opportunity to recommend and design person-centred care plans for consumers and their families. This hands-on experience will support the practical application of their research and contribute to improved wellbeing outcomes for older adults.
Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a self-motivated PhD candidate with excellent organisation, problem-solving and project management skills. Candidates can have either strong qualitative skills, including familiarity with in-depth data collection and analysis methods, or strong quantitative skills with the ability to design and test scenarios, are desired for this project. Discipline is open but candidates should have some previous experience with researching consumers, health related service providers/services and public funding environments. Must be eligible to enrol in PhD programs at Curtin.
This project is open to domestic applicants.
Enquiries
If this project interests you, contact Dr Graham Ferguson via the Expression of Interest.