Examining A Core Assumption Of Policy And Services For Older Indigenous Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$133,387.00
Summary
In aged care service planning, the age 50 years or over is used for the Indigenous Australian population in the same way as the age 70 years is used for the non-Indigenous population. This is based on the lower life expectancy of the Indigenous population which is presumed to result in a need for aged care services at younger ages. The underlying assumption is that Australia's Indigenous population aged over 50 has the same set of age-associated conditions and care needs as the non-Indigenous po ....In aged care service planning, the age 50 years or over is used for the Indigenous Australian population in the same way as the age 70 years is used for the non-Indigenous population. This is based on the lower life expectancy of the Indigenous population which is presumed to result in a need for aged care services at younger ages. The underlying assumption is that Australia's Indigenous population aged over 50 has the same set of age-associated conditions and care needs as the non-Indigenous population aged over 70. The evidence for this assumption is not established. It is well documented that the Indigenous population has worse health outcomes across all age groups relative to non-Indigenous Australians. However, our understanding of the details of the observed pattern is far from complete. This project seeks to compare the health status of the Indigenous population aged 50 years or over to the health status of the non-Indigenous population aged 70 years or over. The project will analyse a number of data sets to inform future directions in policy and service provision. A better understanding of these issues is fundamental to informed planning and allocation of resources, to identification of areas amenable to prevention strategies and to the development of approaches to care that meet the needs of Indigenous people.Read moreRead less
Disentangling The Interrelationship Between Multimordibity, Multimedicine Use, And Cardiovascular Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,978.00
Summary
Australians are living longer, but are also living with more health conditions and taking more medicines to treat those conditions. For people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), this is a problem as hundreds of non-cardiac medicines known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure. We will take a holistic, patient-centred approach determine the true burden of CVD related to use of medicines to treat comorbid conditions in Australia.
Integration And Implementation Of Deprescribing Recommendations To Reduce Medication Induced Harm
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,544,073.00
Summary
Older people in Australia commonly take multiple medicines for their health conditions. As people age and their health changes, medicines that were once helpful may become harmful. This research program will investigate how we can enhance treatment guidelines and use these guidelines in practice to increase discontinuation of unnecessary and potentially harmful medicines. This will lead to reduced medicine induced harm and may improve the quality of life of older Australians.
Understanding Frailty In Older People: An Epidemiological Insight
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
We need to find better and more efficient ways to identify older people at risk of poor outcomes. The measurement of frailty, a key concept in geriatric medicine, may provide this exact information. The proposed research will investigate frailty in large-scale population datasets across both community and hospital settings. Results can be used to guide patient management, influence public health policy and inform future intervention studies.