New initiative aims to enhance quality of care in residential aged care 

Monash University’s Dr Marta Woolford is spearheading an innovative project to improve the quality of care and life of aged care residents across Australia.

The project, funded by a recent grant, seeks to address longstanding challenges in the sector where programs fail to gain a foothold and become embedded in long-term practice.

Dr Woolford, the lead Research Fellow for aged care in the Health and Social Care Unit (HSCU) has been awarded a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship and will evaluate how essential programs can be adopted more successfully.

Titled, The Meaningful and Purpose-Centred Care (MPCC) Program for people living with and without dementia in residential aged care. A quasi-experimental study evaluating the MPCC Program, Dr Woolford’s Fellowship will allow her to deep dive into the practicalities of implementing the program.

She’ll evaluate the MPCC Program rollout that occurred with the community partner organisation, Regis Aged Care. Dr Woolford developed the MPCC Program work and implemented it in partnership with Regis over the past 12 months. 

However, other programs in the sector have struggled to achieve the same success. Dr Woolford acknowledges that implementation processes are common and that a detailed study of a successful program could help to change that. 

“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to evaluate the MPCC Program with Regis,” Dr Woolford said. 

“We have been in partnership with Regis Aged Care for over a year to implement the MPCC Program into all their homes nationally, and Regis has invested significant resources into this.

“It is a privilege to be in partnership with an aged care provider that is committed to supporting their workforce to deliver consistent high-quality care to their residents.”

The three-year Fellowship allows Dr Woolford to conduct a thorough organisation-wide evaluation of the evidence-based program across all 68 Regis residential care homes. 

Dr Woolford is excited by the rare and valuable opportunity to understand implementation that worked or did not work. She aims to develop an implementation roadmap that can be shared with the broader aged care sector. 

The project comes at a critical time as Australia’s ageing population continues to grow, placing increasing pressure on aged care services. Currently, one in six Australians are aged 65 or over. By 2066, it will be at least one in five. 

The MPCC Program is an evidence-based program for ageing and dementia care underpinned by key care principles, including person-centred strength-based care, dignity of risk and supportive engaging environments. 

Critical education and training empower staff, while the MPCC Program also identifies opportunities for improvements to indoor/outdoor spaces, and aims to address government priorities of delivering high-quality health and social care to people living in residential aged care.

Dr Woolford will use Quality Indicator data collected in aged care homes to understand the impact the MPCC Program has on resident outcomes, such as quality of life, falls, and independence with activities of daily living.

“MPCC focuses on enhancing meaningful interactions in all touch points of care. The approaches used in the Program are aimed to be implemented into everyday practice and involve all staff working in the home, including direct (such as personal care workers, registered nurses) and indirect (such as lifestyle teams, managers) care staff; and all residents,” Dr Woolford explained.

“This all-inclusive approach ensures everyone works together to improve the quality of life for residents, and quality of care.

As Australia continues to grapple with the complexities of aged care, Dr Woolford said it’s essential that aged care staff are supported to meet expectations and deliver high-quality care. 

“One of the greatest strengths of the MPCC Program is that it aims to support meaningful strength-based engagement in staff’s everyday interactions with residents – to work alongside residents and to do things with them, not for them,” she said.  

“I am looking forward to seeing the impact MPCC is having on residents, and to understanding and refining the implementation strategies to support sustainability. I am very appreciative that the Dementia Australia Fellowship supports this important work.”

Dr Woolford will be joined by Associate Professor Darshini Ayton, Professor Janet Anderson and Associate Professor Sze-Ee Soh, who will all provide guidance and support. The trio brings invaluable expertise from aged care, acute care, allied health and psychology backgrounds. 

“Their knowledge and expertise in implementation science, human factors, and statistical analysis will ensure that the Fellowship will be grounded in high-quality research and produce impactful outcomes,” she said.

A Consumer Advisory Committee will also be formed to guide the Fellowship and ensure the voices of people with lived experiences are heard.