• Charles Sturt’s Ageing Well in Rural and Regional Australia Research Group has been awarded an Ian Potter Foundation grant of $600,000
• The project aims to improve mental health outcomes for older Australians transitioning into residential aged care facilities
• The grant will fund the ‘Improving the mental health of Older Australians Navigating the Transition to Residential Aged Care’ (ON-TRAC) Project over five years

An innovative project led by Charles Sturt University researchers has secured a $600,000 grant to help improve the mental health of people transitioning to residential aged care.

Charles Sturt’s Ageing Well in Rural and Regional Australia Research Group was recently awarded the prestigious Public Health Grant from The Ian Potter Foundation for their innovative Improving the mental health of Older Australians Navigating the Transition to Residential Aged Care (ON-TRAC) Project.

The Research Group is led by Charles Sturt’s Associate Professor Melissa Nott in the Three Rivers Department of Rural Health, Professor Suzanne McLaren in the School of Psychology, Associate Professor Belinda Cash in the School of Social Work and Arts and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for the Sturt Scheme funded research group Dr Shanna Fealy.

Dr Fealy said the project stands out as it establishes direct partnerships with stakeholders in the aged care industry.

“We’re working with Uniting AgeWell in Victoria and Tasmania, and St Agnes Care and Lifestyle in Port Macquarie, as well as researchers from the National Ageing Research Institute and Federation University so that the project is evaluated and implemented effectively,” Dr Fealy said.

“The grant not only recognises the importance of our work but also presents an invaluable opportunity to showcase Charles Sturt University’s commitment to advancing the mental health of older Australians who are making the significant transition from living at home to residing in permanent residential aged care.”

The ON-TRAC project will be co-designed, co-produced, trialled, evaluated and implemented in collaboration with older Australians, informal carers, industry care providers and researchers over five years.

Dr Fealy said the key areas of mental health to be addressed are depression and anxiety, with the aim of reducing these conditions through evidence-informed psychological intervention.

“The aged care sector is confronted with immense challenges, necessitating a comprehensive transformation of its framework which was outlined in the recent findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety,” she said.

“With the incidence of depression in older adults in residential aged care facilities alarmingly high at 52 per cent, compared to community-dwelling older adults at 10-15 per cent, and anxiety disorders often co-occurring, improving the mental health of older Australians during this critical transition phase may have a long-lasting positive impact well beyond the project’s five-year duration.”

The grant comprises $120,000 each year over five years. The total funding pool for the project, which includes leveraged funds from the Ageing Well in Rural and Regional Australia Research Group, Charles Sturt’s central research funds and in-kind contributions from Charles Sturt and partners equates to $1,674,333.

Chairman of The Ian Potter Foundation Mr Charles Goode AC said they were pleased to support the research project.

“The project is led by an early career researcher, embedded within the newly established multi-disciplinary Ageing Well Research Group at Charles Sturt University which aims to protect the mental wellbeing of ageing Australians as they transition into residential aged care,” he said.

“The high rates of depression in this group make this a pressing need. Focused on prevention, the research project is based on strong collaborations with consumers, industry partners and research institutions.”

ENDS