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Validation Of A Competency Assessment Method For Persons With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,451.00
Summary
Deciding what if any aspects of their financial affairs a person with dementia or suspected dementia can responsibly manage is a difficult process for health and legal professionals as well as for guardianship boards and tribunals. This process is often stressful for the older person, and families can find deciding when to “take over” stressful. Also, having family members manage the older person’s assets may result in family conflict. There is a small amount of overseas research examining this ....Deciding what if any aspects of their financial affairs a person with dementia or suspected dementia can responsibly manage is a difficult process for health and legal professionals as well as for guardianship boards and tribunals. This process is often stressful for the older person, and families can find deciding when to “take over” stressful. Also, having family members manage the older person’s assets may result in family conflict. There is a small amount of overseas research examining this issue. However, no comprehensive and validated method exists internationally or in Australia to determine competency in this context. We will test a methodology for assessing the capacity of individuals to manage their own financial affairs where dementia is an issue. This method involves the use of a number of reliable and well-validated instruments measuring the older person’s mental state, anxiety levels, depression, and social vulnerability combined with an interview exploring the personal circumstances of the older adult in relation to their financial affairs. We will work with the Office of the Adult Guardian in Queensland to recruit participants and to verify both the utility and usability of our methodology with stakeholders (e.g. solicitors, the Office of the Adult Guardian). A comparison will be made between the results obtained in approximately 200 financial competency cases with the competency opinions independently arrived at by the Office of the Adult Guardian in Queensland. As a result of this research, we will be able to ascertain the viability and utility of this assessment method, improve the method as per the data gathered, and ultimately seek future funding to trial the methods across multiple jurisdictions (e.g. other states) and contexts (e.g. various cultural contexts).Read moreRead less
Which Heart Failure Intervention Is Most Cost-effective And Consumer Friendly In Reducing Hospital Care: The Which
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$921,640.00
Summary
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a costly, debilitating and deadly condition that has reached near epidemic proportions in Australia. In the absence of a permanent cure for CHF, the number of people affected by CHF has risen beyond 350,000 and is expected to increase by 20-30% in the next 20 years. We recently reviewed the benefits of applying nurse-led, CHF management programs (CHF-MPs) to typically old and fragile patients, in whom recurrent hospital admissions and a premature death are common. ....Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a costly, debilitating and deadly condition that has reached near epidemic proportions in Australia. In the absence of a permanent cure for CHF, the number of people affected by CHF has risen beyond 350,000 and is expected to increase by 20-30% in the next 20 years. We recently reviewed the benefits of applying nurse-led, CHF management programs (CHF-MPs) to typically old and fragile patients, in whom recurrent hospital admissions and a premature death are common. We confirmed the results of pioneering Australian research that CHF-MPs dramatically improve health outcomes in CHF. CHF-MPs now form part of the recommended gold-standard management of CHF. However, we also have evidence that only a small proportion of patients are exposed to a CHF-MP in Australia. Residual issues such as consumer preference and the cost of applying these programs are hindering their wide-spread application. The WHICH? Study addresses this _road block� to implementing a potentially valuable health care service by tackling a number of critical issues: which form of CHF-MP (home or specialist clinic-based follow-up), will produce the best health outcomes, save the most money and meet the needs of consumers at the same time? To answer this question, we will undertake a randomised, head-to-head study of a home versus clinic-based CHF-MP, in 1000 recently hospitalised CHF patients recruited from SA, VIC, NSW and QLD. Patterns and of health care and consumer preferences and quality of life will then be compared for these two different forms of CHF-MP from a combined health economic, health policy and consumer perspective to determine the best form of CHF-MP to be applied. A _consensus� vision for applying an Australia-wide service will then be developed. The potential impact of the results of the study will then be modelled on the status of Australian CHF-MPs in the year 2010 and a blue-print for action devised.Read moreRead less