Informal Care Use and Support: Improving Home Care Quality and Reducing Unplanned Hospitalisations

This project will examine carer involvement and their influence on quality of care and unplanned hospitalisations of older Australians, in order to inform strategies which optimise their informal caregiving role and enhance quality of care.

The contribution of informal carers in Australia's aged and health care systems is significant, with approximately 10% of Australians providing informal care.

Using the ROSA integrated national and state-based datasets from health care, aged care, and social welfare sectors, we will examine the characteristics of carers and their caregiving roles, and how they influence unplanned hospitalisations, emergency department presentations and quality and safety of care.

This knowledge will inform the development of interventions and strategies to optimise the involvement of carers, enhance home care quality, and reduce the need for unplanned hospitalisations among older Australians accessing home care services

PARTNERING INSTITUTIONS

University of South Australia, Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), ECH Inc

This project is funded by Health Translation South Australia (HTSA)