Enhancing Mental Health In Aboriginal People: Reducing Violence And Developing Resilience
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,771,151.00
Summary
This project aims to determine the best ways to improve the Social Emotional Well Being (SEWB) of the Aboriginal people of Broken Hill, Menindee and Wilcannia. This project will develop a culturally appropriate and evidenced based intervention to break the cycle of ongoing grief, mental illness, alcohol and other drugs and violence. The project will proceed in a number of interrelated phases including extensive community consultations and a baseline survey. The project will then implement and ev ....This project aims to determine the best ways to improve the Social Emotional Well Being (SEWB) of the Aboriginal people of Broken Hill, Menindee and Wilcannia. This project will develop a culturally appropriate and evidenced based intervention to break the cycle of ongoing grief, mental illness, alcohol and other drugs and violence. The project will proceed in a number of interrelated phases including extensive community consultations and a baseline survey. The project will then implement and evaluate an intervention program that provides a community and individual program that adopts evidence-based approaches and modifies them to be acceptable within Aboriginal communities. These interventions aim to break the cycle of violence and mental health problems by teaching adaptive skills to reduce violent behaviours and by providing mental health interventions that reduce disorders that contribute to violence.Read moreRead less
The Impact Of Hospital-based Aged Care And Dementia Services On Outcomes For People With Dementia Admitted To Hospital-a
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,308,580.00
Summary
This research explores how hospital based aged care and dementia services influence outcomes for people with dementia who are admitted to hospital. Using detailed data for NSW public hospitals, it will provide information about the kinds of hospital based aged care and dementia services available to assist people with dementia, and how the level and mix of these services is associated with different patient outcomes, including lower rates of admission to hospital. There is considerable evidence ....This research explores how hospital based aged care and dementia services influence outcomes for people with dementia who are admitted to hospital. Using detailed data for NSW public hospitals, it will provide information about the kinds of hospital based aged care and dementia services available to assist people with dementia, and how the level and mix of these services is associated with different patient outcomes, including lower rates of admission to hospital. There is considerable evidence that there are many hazards for people with dementia when they are hospitalized. The project will result in recommendations about the types of services and their features which produce better outcomes for people with dementia. Every stage of the research will be guided and informed by an Expert Panel comprising representatives of dementia service consumers, aged care providers, health service planning staff and key researchers. The Panel will provide contextual information about the service environment and how it affects people with dementia. Details of the patient's complete hospital stay can be investigated by linking existing administrative datasets. Data about hospital services will be gathered through a census of NSW hospitals, supplemented with in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and small group expert discussions with experts in each Area Health Service. The research team will also visit selected hospital sites. Multilevel modelling techniques will test for statistical associations between hospital based dementia services and care outcomes including admission rates to hospital, total length of hospital stay, mortality, admission rates to hospital, and the level of patient dependency on entry to residential aged care. The model will include the influence of regional variations in the provision of community aged care packages and residential aged care and the availability of informal care. The project will include a focus on the outcomes for people with co-morbidities and for people from different culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Community Based Paliative Care Services: Towards A Better Understanding Of Medical Aspects Of Caring For C
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$68,892.00
Summary
Caring for children [and their families] in the palliative phase of an illness offers unique challenges. Community based palliative care programs provide a predominantly adult focused service, their experience with children being limited by smaller numbers. This study aims to better characterize the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill children in Australia, thru the use of a parental survey in a large representative cohort at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). The focus wil ....Caring for children [and their families] in the palliative phase of an illness offers unique challenges. Community based palliative care programs provide a predominantly adult focused service, their experience with children being limited by smaller numbers. This study aims to better characterize the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill children in Australia, thru the use of a parental survey in a large representative cohort at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). The focus will be to identify issues relating to symptom assessment and management, family and caregiver support and psychosocial-bereavement support. The knowledge gained will be used to redesign-strengthen links between paediatric hospitals and community based palliative care programs.Read moreRead less
An Efficacy Study Of A Cognitive-communicative Intervention To Improve Transition To Residential Care In Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$681,083.00
Summary
The transition from home to a residential aged care facility (RACF) is a potentially traumatic process that has a negative impact on the health and well-being of both people with dementia and their caregivers. This project will develop an intervention program for people with dementia that maximizes their ability to learn and retain functional skills and that enhances the communicative competence of both people with dementia and their carergivers. This will serve to minimize the stress and disori ....The transition from home to a residential aged care facility (RACF) is a potentially traumatic process that has a negative impact on the health and well-being of both people with dementia and their caregivers. This project will develop an intervention program for people with dementia that maximizes their ability to learn and retain functional skills and that enhances the communicative competence of both people with dementia and their carergivers. This will serve to minimize the stress and disorientation, as well as accompanying increased risk of illness, of entering residential care. We will investigate whether this intervention program has good outcomes both for the people with dementia as well as their caregivers. The research will develop guidelines for the development of best-practice policies for service providers and the government, which will assist both health workers and homebased caregivers to better manage the transition of people with dementia from home to the RACF environment.Read moreRead less
Strenthening The Contribution Of Australian General Practice To The Control Of Pandemic Influenza
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,257.00
Summary
Most primary and preventive care in Australia occurs in general practice. Australian general practice will therefore have a critical role to play in control efforts during an influenza pandemic, and also in sustaining other primary health care activities. After an initial surge in attendances, there may be a decline in attendance, as Australians become more reluctant to congregate in a place where they may become ill. This study seeks to complement the Australian Pandemic Influenza Management Pl ....Most primary and preventive care in Australia occurs in general practice. Australian general practice will therefore have a critical role to play in control efforts during an influenza pandemic, and also in sustaining other primary health care activities. After an initial surge in attendances, there may be a decline in attendance, as Australians become more reluctant to congregate in a place where they may become ill. This study seeks to complement the Australian Pandemic Influenza Management Plan by developing a range of action plans for use by general practitioners and public health authorities to support essential primary health care functions through a pandemic, and maximize general practice's contribution to control efforts. A range of methods will be used, including systematic review of existing literature, economic modeling of the Medicare costs and savings of different models of health care, interviews with key informants who have helped develop disaster response plans for general practice, or who are in positions of leadership. The project will culminate in the development of a simulation exercise to be used as a self-assessment tool for general practitioners, and a summit of general practice stakeholders who will help to finalise agreed action plans for the general practice response to pandemic influenza.Read moreRead less
Remote Indigenous Oral Health Testing A Commmunity Based Model Of Oral Health Promotion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$77,152.00
Summary
Development and trial of an oral health promotion package for remote Aboriginal groups based on community consultations. This would include the development of visual health promotion packages in local language. The aim is to develop sustainable change in oral health behaviours.
Optimising Prevention And The Management Of Care For Australians With Or At Risk Of Serious And Continuing Chronic Illne
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,760,301.00
Summary
The project aims to study three prototype conditions - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - in people aged 45 to 85 in the Sydney West Area Health Service and the Australian Capital Territory with a view to implementing and evaluating new models of care and developing policies that observe accurately the current state of the art technologies, discern the gaps in knowledge, locate the barriers to optimality and engage policy makers in practical proposals ab ....The project aims to study three prototype conditions - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - in people aged 45 to 85 in the Sydney West Area Health Service and the Australian Capital Territory with a view to implementing and evaluating new models of care and developing policies that observe accurately the current state of the art technologies, discern the gaps in knowledge, locate the barriers to optimality and engage policy makers in practical proposals about how best to use the currently available resources to achieve better health outcomes.Read moreRead less
The Pacific OPIC Study - A Four Country Study Of Obesity Prevention In Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,600,580.00
Summary
Obesity is a rapidly escalating, worldwide epidemic. Many countries recognise the need to prevent obesity but there is insufficient evidence about what interventions work. The Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC) Project will provide data on the effectiveness of a range of interventions to prevent obesity among young people in Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. Prevention research is particularly required in countries such as Fiji and Tonga because their prevalence of obesity is ....Obesity is a rapidly escalating, worldwide epidemic. Many countries recognise the need to prevent obesity but there is insufficient evidence about what interventions work. The Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC) Project will provide data on the effectiveness of a range of interventions to prevent obesity among young people in Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. Prevention research is particularly required in countries such as Fiji and Tonga because their prevalence of obesity is extremely high. The interventions used in this project will be culturally appropriate and include at least 1000 young people in each intervention group. The outcomes of this project will be applicable to both low- and high-income countries. This project will lead to a greater understanding of the socio-cultural, policy, and economic contexts and provide crucial evidence for public health action to prevent obesity.Read moreRead less