CQU researcher finds older people want to live at home as long as possible
With 97 per cent of older Central Queenslanders wanting to live in their own home as long as possible, health agencies and governments should do all they can to meet this demand.
That’s according to CQUniversity Masters graduate Rachael Belot, who recently revealed the details of her research into elderly Australians’ living requirements.
“It is clear that Australia has an ageing population and that older people desire to remain in their own homes with support rather than move into a residential aged care facility - meeting this demand should be considered in all future aged care planning,” she said.
Mrs Belot said her research – “What should ‘care at home until I die’ look like for older people in Australia? – An exploration of services to support long-term community living” – involved conducting focus groups and surveys with Central Queensland’s older people currently receiving services in the home and interviews with a local service provider who deliver services.
“The aim of this research was to investigate current consumer needs and expectations of in-home care services delivered by a service providers aimed at supporting older people to live at home for as long as possible,” she said.
“This was achieved by examining services currently provided by the service provider, features consumers look for to meet their needs, and the factors associated with consumer choices for in-home care services.
“Perceptions of ageing in place, potential improvements and service provider experiences also informed the research.”
Through her research, Rachael found that of the older people surveyed (72 per cent of those surveyed were female), 97 per cent want to remain living in their own home as long as possible – and that staff providing services recounted that many older people were scared about moving into a residential aged care facility.
“During focus groups, some older people talked about their concern of being a burden on family as their needs increase,” she said.
“Preserving friendships was observed as being an important social connection as individuals age, reducing stress and feelings of loneliness.”
She added that when older people were asked if staff had the skills to meet their needs, most of the participants were satisfied and during the focus groups, talked about how the staff were efficient, considerate and friendly.
However, some expressed concern over insufficiently skilled staff and inconsistency in the support worker delivering their services.
When older people were asked if they had confidence to use the internet to manage their services, only 18 per cent either agreed or strongly agreed.
Mrs Belot said while much of the feedback was positive, there were some areas that participants would like to see improved.
“The findings build on existing knowledge by providing unique insight through the lens of the lived experiences and perceptions of both older people ageing in place and service providers delivering services.
"To assist service providers to deliver relevant, coordinated, and continuous care that aligns with consumer priorities and goals for future in-home care the findings lead to several recommendations and notable points which align with the 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
“Future research may involve a focus on consumers receiving in-home services across multiple service providers to evaluate and compare what works well and what does not for service delivery,” she said.
“Additionally, including informal carers and family members who assist with care for older people by examining the impact upon them may help to inform services into the future.
"Future research investigating younger generations to find out what they would like ageing in place to look like for them would also assist in consumer-directed care for the future and reduce concerns about ageing.
“Lastly, investigating in-depth, how to attract and retain a skilled workforce with an ageing population to identify the barriers and enablers may benefit all service providers when planning service provision in the future.”
Mrs Belot is an allied health professional based in Yeppoon and is currently working as a nutritionist for the Home Care Package and Commonwealth Home Support Programs (older people).
