Review of the Transition Care Program: Models of care. Part 1: Manager surveys and interviews

This report covers the first of a multi-stage project intended to review the Transition Care Program (TCP) in Victoria. In this stage, the Victorian Department of Health (“the Department”) sought to identify the models of care used in different Transition Care Program (TCP) agencies, with a focus on TCP managers.</p

Literature review on health impacts of exposure to particulate matter emitted by fire smoke: Final report

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) identified that incident controllers have limited guidance to assist them when responding to urban industrial fires in relation to exposure to smoke particulate matter (PM), especially fine PM (PM2.5). La Trobe University was contracted to undertake a project to provide current research evidence to assist FRV develop guidance materials for Incident Controllers based on the best available evidence and expert opinion. The project comprised the following key components: rapid literature review of current research evidence; content analysis of available operational guidelines or standard operating procedures; and expert consultation regarding best-practice for smoke exposure mitigation for career firefighters. This report covers the literature reviews conducted for the project.</p

A snapshot of social activities programs in residential aged care facilities in Victoria: A brief report

Objectives: To capture current opportunities for social participation for older people living in residential aged care in Victoria, Australia. Methods: A postal survey of all 766 Victorian residential aged care facilities. Respondents were asked to outline the nature of social participation opportunities available to residents, any potential barriers to inclusion and organisational commitments such as funding allocations and staff fractions. Results: Surveys were returned by 153 facilities, representing a response rate of 20%. All facilities had a dedicated social program, although just over half (57%; 87 of 153) offered the social program over the weekend, usually on a Saturday morning only (90%). Barriers to older people's opportunities for social participation included their ineligibility to continue attending external community programs once entering residential aged care (86%), their illness (71%), carer availability (50%) and lack of funding (42%). Funding for almost all programs (128 of 153; 84%) was described as internal and ad hoc, and staff allocations for the program were almost entirely fractional. Only 12 (8%) facilities reported that they had a dedicated full-time coordinator for the social participation program. Conclusions: Social participation programs are available in Victorian residential aged care facilities. However, limited funding and staff allocations reduce the opportunities for older people to engage in meaningful social participation with others

“You’ve Got to Connect with the People”: The Meaning of, Preferences for, and Involvement in Social Participation for Older People Living in Nursing Homes in Victoria, Australia

This research sought to explore the meaning of, preferences for, and involvement in social participation for older people living in nursing homes in Victoria, Australia. A qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews with twenty older people living in four geographically and ethnically diverse nursing homes was conducted between 2020 and 2022. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed. All the older people had been very socially active before moving into aged care and had participated in leisure and volunteering activities. Five themes emerged from the data analysis related to the meaning of, preferences for, and involvement in activities for social participation. The meaning of social participation among these older people varied. Some participated in group activities to keep active and busy, while others were content with interests of their own. Social participation in group activities provided older people with a connection to others and assisted in maintaining existing, or developing new, relationships. However, the ability to participate in group activities that offered opportunities for social participation was limited by age-related decline for some older people. The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions constrained activities, which provided opportunities for social participation for some older people living in nursing homes, but not all. These perspectives highlight the need for individualised person-centred opportunities for social participation in nursing homes. Group activities should enable older people to remain active and facilitate social connections that provide meaning and purpose. Respect for individual choice is important, as older people are not a homogeneous group, and opportunities to pursue individual activities should be facilitated.</p

Thinking with complexity in evaluation: A case study review

Roche C, Brown G, Clune S, Shields N, Lewis V. Thinking with complexity in evaluation: A case study review. Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 2021;21(3):146-162. © The Author(s) 2021 </p

‘I've heard of it but had nothing… not much to do with it’: The experience of older people and their families with the Resident of the Day (ROD) process in Victorian aged care facilities

Objectives: To explore the experiences of older people living in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs) and families of older people living in RACFs, regarding the process of Resident of the Day (ROD; sometimes referred to as a resident review) and their knowledge of how these assessments inform care planning. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to engage residents and families in conversations about their experiences and knowledge of the assessment associated with ROD and subsequent care planning. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate findings. Results: Twenty-six interviews were conducted in four RACFs across Victoria, diverse in terms of geographic location and provider type. Those residents who had some awareness of the ROD described the process only in superficial terms. Connections between ROD and care planning were unable to be made by most residents. Family members had a greater level of awareness of the ROD, although they were unable to describe the process or purpose and did not connect it to care planning. Conclusions: Despite being undertaken in all Victorian RACFs, residents and families have little or no knowledge of the ROD process, purpose or what happens to the information collected.</p

What is known about population level programs designed to address gambling-related harm: rapid review of the evidence

Background: Gambling and gambling-related harm attract significant researcher and policy attention. The liberalisation of gambling in most western countries is strongly associated with a marked rise in gambling activity and increases in gambling-related harm experienced at the population level. Programs to address gambling-related harm have traditionally focused on individuals who demonstrate problematic gambling behaviour, despite clear evidence of the effectiveness of a public health approach to high-risk activities like gambling. Little is known about the availability or efficacy of programs to address gambling-related harm at a population level. Methods: The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation commissioned a rapid evidence review of the available evidence on programs designed to reduce gambling-related harm at a population level. The review was conducted using a public health and harm reduction lens. MEDLINE, ProQuest Central and PsychInfo databases were searched systematically. Included studies were published in English between 2017 – 2023 from all countries with gambling policy contexts and public health systems comparable to Australia’s; included primary data; and focused on primary and/or secondary prevention of gambling-related harm or problems. Results: One hundred and sixty-seven articles were eligible for inclusion. Themes identified in the literature included: risk and protective factors; primary prevention; secondary prevention; tertiary prevention; target population group; and public health approach. The evidence review revealed a gap in empirical evidence around effective interventions to reduce gambling-related harm at the population level, particularly from a public health perspective. Conclusions: Addressing gambling-related harm requires a nuanced, multi-layered approach that acknowledges the complex social, environmental, and commercial nature of gambling and associated harms. Moreover, evidence demonstrates community programs to reduce gambling-related harm are more successful in reducing harm when based on sound theory of co-design and address the social aspects that contribute to harm.</p

Virtual nursing in residential aged care: What is known?

This literature review was conducted to inform the evaluation of the Virtual Nursing in Aged Care project, funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care, which will be implemented from 2024 to 2027 to optimise clinical care outcomes for older people living in residential aged care.La Trobe University has been contracted to conduct an evaluation of the project. The evaluation plan comprises four stages. As a deliverable resulting from Stage 1 of the project, a rapid literature review was conducted to scope current evidence for virtual nursing care interventions or programs in long-term residential aged care homes (RACHs).</p