The move into residential aged care can be a distressing time, as new residents contend with an unfamiliar environment, a change in routine, new faces, and a loss of independence.
Now a team of researchers from Charles Sturt University is looking into evidence-based psychological interventions that could improve the mental health of people transitioning into aged care.
The research is being conducted by Charles Sturt's Ageing Well in Rural and Regional Australia Research Group, which has been awarded a $600,000 Public Health Grant from the Ian Potter Foundation.
The research project, titled 'Improving the mental Health of Older Australian Navigating the Transition to Residential Aged Care' (ON-TRAC) is being led by:
- Charles Sturt’s Associate Professor Melissa Nott,
- Professor Suzanne McLaren in the School of Psychology,
- Associate Professor Belinda Cash in the School of Social Work and Arts, and
- Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for the Sturt Scheme-funded research group Dr Shanna Fealy.
The team is working with Uniting AgeWell (Victoria and Tasmania) and St Agnes Care and Lifestyle (NSW, Port Macquarie), as well as researchers from the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) and Federation University.
The Ian Potter Foundation awards grants to charities working to benefit the community.
