How research is informing the development of aged and home care quality indicators
ROSA played a key role in the Australian Government Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (2018–2021), delivering reports that informed its final recommendations and subsequent national reforms
Positioning aged care as a platform for global engagement and reform
These collaborations deliver transdisciplinary research, culturally responsive service models, and workforce capacity-building initiatives that are reshaping aged care across regions.
Why mental health conversations matter: Supporting older adults
For older adults receiving care in the community, mental health and wellbeing needs can often go unmet, as aged care staff focus on meeting customers’ physical and practical needs, often working within tight time constraints.
Better transitions, better care for older Australians
Researchers are improving hospital-to-aged care transitions to reduce avoidable hospitalisations and better support older Australians.
Making palliative care evidence easy to access and use
How can we know what makes a difference to care at the end of life? The CareSearch team at the Flinders Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD) has developed tools to make palliative care evidence accessible and usable across health and aged care.
How research is informing the development of aged and home care quality indicators
ROSA - Leveraging Existing Data to Generate Evidence and Inform National Aged Care Policy and Reforms
The Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) Research Centre
Established in 2017, ROSA maintains a national data platform integrating aged care, health, and social welfare datasets. It supports evidence-based improvements in ageing and aged care services. ROSA played a key role in the Australian Government Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (2018–2021), delivering reports that informed its final recommendations and subsequent national reforms.
Expanding the National Quality Indicator Program
ROSA provided critical evidence to the Australian Government to expand the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program. Its reports demonstrated how to measure and monitor care quality across residential aged care and home care settings. ROSA’s work led to the passing of a Senate motion[1] to support the expansion of routine monitoring of quality and safety of aged care nationally, and continues to inform the development and reporting of new staffing and home care quality indicators.
Improving Antipsychotic Use in Aged Care
ROSA’s research revealed increased antipsychotic prescribing following entry into residential aged care, especially for people living with dementia. This evidence influenced the Royal Commission’s interim recommendations, changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and the inclusion of medication management indicators in the Australian Government National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program. This work affected how antipsychotics are dispensed and monitored in aged care.
Improving Availability of Home Care Packages Nationally
A 2019 ROSA study showed that long wait times for Home Care Packages were linked to higher mortality and earlier transition to residential aged care. This evidence prompted the Royal Commission’s recommendations and the release of 180,000 additional packages between 2019–2022 to improve access.
Read the full impact report here: Leveraging Existing Data to Generate Evidence and Inform National Aged Care Policy and Reforms
[1] Commonwealth of Australia. Senate. Hansard, Page 3951. 25 August 2020, (Stirling Griff, South Australian Senator). Excerpt from Hansard: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansards/816c162b-8e99-4a3f-bc36-6d2eabeb102d/0146/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf )
Positioning aged care as a platform for global engagement and reform
Aged Care Diplomacy and International Partnerships
Aged care is emerging as a critical frontier for international cooperation, policy dialogue, and innovation. At Flinders University, Dr Madhan Balasubramanian is leading a pioneering portfolio of initiatives that position aged care as a platform for global engagement and reform. Working across the College of Business, Government and Law, through the Centre for Social Impact and the Factory of Future, and in close partnership with the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, ARIIA, the Caring Futures Institute, and the University of Sydney, this work has catalysed two major international hubs: the Asia Pacific Aged Care Hub (APACH) and the MENA Hub for Aged Care Management. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), these hubs connect Flinders with over 20 academic institutions across 13 countries.
Together, these collaborations deliver transdisciplinary research, culturally responsive service models, and workforce capacity-building initiatives that are reshaping aged care across regions. Flagship programs such as the APACH Fellows Program are training the next generation of international leaders in aged care, while global symposiums have engaged more than 1,000 participants and reached over one million people via social media.
Strategic engagement with global policy advocates, including the World Health Organisation, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank, has further elevated aged care as a vehicle for international diplomacy and health systems strengthening.
“As a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Madhan Balasubramanian, my research on health workforce planning models for older adults in Saudi Arabia has been enriched by the cross-national perspectives I’ve gained from international collaborations, including those within the Asia Pacific and MENA aged care hubs. The insights from Australia’s aged care workforce strategies have significantly influenced my work, helping me develop tailored models for Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system. This research aims to ensure that our healthcare professionals are well-prepared to meet the evolving care needs of our ageing population.”
- Salim Alsheri, PhD Student, Flinders University
“Through our work with the Asia Pacific Aged Care Hub (APACH) and the MENA Hubs, we are positioning aged care as a catalyst for meaningful international collaboration. By leveraging global partnerships and transdisciplinary research, we are not only reshaping aged care policies and service models across regions but also building a strong foundation for future workforce leadership. This initiative continues to drive forward cultural competency and innovation, directly impacting aged care systems worldwide.”
- Dr. Madhan Balasubramanian, Project Lead
“The DFAT Fellowship, and being one of the founding members from India for the Asia Pacific Aged Care Hub, Flinders University has provided me with invaluable exposure to Australian aged care systems, offering a unique opportunity to see innovative care models in action. Witnessing how culturally responsive service models were implemented in Australia and across other Asia Pacific Countries was transformative. It was amazing to see these practices applied in India, where we were able to tailor solutions for our older adult population, ultimately improving care and outcomes in our community. This has equipped me with the tools to advocate for change and improve care quality in my home country.”
- Professor GVRK Acharyulu, Dean School of Management, University of Hyderabad
Research and Publications
The project has produced high-impact scholarly outputs, including a special issue featuring aged care policy innovations from 12 Asia-Pacific countries and a China-focused edition analysing the evolution of aged care reforms. A forthcoming supplement in Health Care Management Review (2026) will showcase eight invited articles, three led by Flinders researchers, highlighting transdisciplinary approaches emerging from APACH and MENA collaborations.
Impact
Research findings have informed aged care workforce development programs across the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, embedding culturally inclusive models of care. These insights are also shaping national policy conversations in Australia, particularly around embedding cultural competency in aged care delivery. The APACH and MENA Hubs continue to serve as platforms for knowledge exchange, connecting practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to foster best-practice innovation.
Training and Capacity Building
The initiative is cultivating future research leaders through HDR supervision and student mentorship. Current projects span workforce planning in Saudi Arabia, virtual care for older CALD adults, scope of practice in Indian aged care, and the use of AI technologies, such as chatbots, to support older adults’ mental health. These efforts are building a robust pipeline of talent and inquiry to sustain aged care innovation across the region.
By embedding aged care into the global policy agenda, the project demonstrates how Flinders University is advancing aged care diplomacy: positioning aged care not only as a pressing health challenge but also as a catalyst for building partnerships, shaping policy, and driving system-wide reforms across diverse regions.
Why mental health conversations matter
Supporting older adults receiving community aged care
For older adults receiving care in the community, mental health and wellbeing needs can often go unmet, as aged care staff focus on meeting customers’ physical and practical needs, often working within tight time constraints. At the same time, home care workers, who often interact regularly with customers may be in a unique position to identify when customers need additional mental health support.
A team led by Flinders University, in partnership with Uniting AgeWell Ltd and the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), set out to improve systems for supporting mental health in community aged care. With input from Mental Health First Aid Australia and BeyondBlue a suite of training resources was developed for Uniting AgeWell staff, and referral processes were integrated into daily reporting processes, providing improved pathways for customer support, and affirming Uniting AgeWell’s values of compassion and community as they relate to both customers and staff across the organisation.
The award winning Talking Mental Health project was part of the ARIIA (Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia) Translating Research into Practice (TRIP) initiative. The project focused on translating what we know from research into practical, real-world solutions that staff can use every day to support residents.
Talking Mental Health was co-designed with aged care workers, older adults with lived experience, clinical experts, and researchers. It was introduced into aged care settings through training, mentoring and on-the-ground implementation support.
Discover more about the project and enjoy some inspiring videos on the Uniting AgeWell website.
Better transition, better care for older Australians
Improving transitions of care and reducing avoidable hospitalisations of older Australians
Older people receiving Commonwealth funded aged care support are one of the most complex and vulnerable patient groups. People aged 65 and over comprise 16% of the Australian population, yet account for 44% of hospitalisations, some of which are preventable with the right support systems. Discharge from hospital is a critical transition point across hospital, community and aged care systems, which can operate as silos, increasing the likelihood that older people ‘fall between the cracks’ and creating additional pressure on the health system.
Over the last seven years, our researchers have been collaborating with aged care stakeholders, including geriatric services, aged care providers, consumers and advocacy groups for older people, primary care, ambulance, allied health providers, academics and state government departments to build an Older Persons Transition & Implementation Network (OPT-IN). This network has partnered in projects to understand what happens at times of transition, identify and implement improvements and evaluate the impact on individual and health system outcomes.
Through this program of research, we have developed a ‘Precision Transitions’ model of care that is a digitally enabled, risk-stratified, nurse-led approach to improve transition from hospital to residential aged care. This is currently implemented in the three metropolitan Local Health Networks (LHNs) in South Australia with future plans to scale the model to regional and rural settings and new population groups of older people.
Making palliative care evidence easy to access and use
Why evidence matters: Even at the end of life
How can we know what makes a difference to care at the end of life? Research has an important role in helping us understand what needs are, what works, and what stops change occurring. It can also influence policy, shape the systems and services delivering care as well as enabling the development of resources for communities and families affected by the realities of ageing, caring, dying and grieving. But what evidence is there? And how can those with questions and information find and access relevant and timely evidence?
As part of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD), the CareSearch research team has been addressing this problem. It has developed sophisticated mechanisms to harvest, assess, synthesise and translate palliative care research evidence for use across health and aged care services. This means health professionals and aged care staff can have easy access to evidence to guide their practice. Importantly, research evidence that relates to the needs of patients, carers and families is also gathered. When coping with serious illness, trustworthy information is critical.
‘High-quality research evidence offers a firm foundation for decision-making. It reduces guesswork, helps services avoid repeating ineffective practices, and increases the likelihood that interventions will benefit older people and those who care for them' says CareSearch Director, Professor Jennifer Tieman.
Being online means that knowledge is available whenever it is needed through the CareSearch website. Redesigning evidence into practical knowledge through phone apps, interactive learning resources, service solutions, animations and videos ensures evidence can be understood and used.
What lies beneath the simplicity of “trustworthy information” is an interdisciplinary team that brings together experts in palliative care and health care, knowledge translation, digital applications, marketing and communications, and change management. The work is amplified by health professionals, aged care staff and managers, consumers, and community organisations actively contributing in advisory and working groups, co-design and evaluation activities, and promotional and dissemination events.
Dealing with the reality of needing palliative care is hard. Knowing that there is research evidence that can support quality care and that this evidence is readily available makes a difference.
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