Improving quality of care and life in residential aged care
Despite the best of intentions, programs to improve the quality of care and life of residents in aged care facilities often fail to become embedded into long-term practice. How this can be done more successfully will be the subject of research by Dr Marta Woolford, who has been awarded a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
She’ll be evaluating the rollout of a Meaningful and Purpose-Centred Care (MPCC) Program with community partner organisation Regis Aged Care.
Dr Woolford, lead Research Fellow for aged care in the Health and Social Care Unit (HSCU), developed the MPCC Program in her earlier research work, and implemented it in partnership with Regis in 2024-2025. Dr Woolford said she was honoured to receive the three-year Fellowship to undertake what is rarely done – a thorough organisation-wide evaluation of the evidence-based program across Regis 68 Australian residential aged care homes.
Titled, The Meaningful and Purpose-Centred Care (MPCC) Program for people living with and without dementia in residential aged care. A quasi-experimental study evaluating the MPCC Program, Dr Woolford’s Fellowship will see her dive into the practicalities of implementing the program.
“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to evaluate the MPCC Program with Regis” Dr Woolford said. “We have been in partnership with Regis Aged Care for over a year to implement the MPCC Program into all their homes nationally, and Regis has invested significant resources into this.
“It is a privilege to be in partnership with an aged care provider that is committed to supporting their workforce to deliver consistent high-quality care to their residents.”
During the Fellowship, Dr Woolford will use Quality Indicator data collected in aged care homes to understand the impact the MPCC Program is having on resident outcomes, such as quality of life, falls, and independence with activities of daily living.
“Importantly, the Fellowship provides the platform to evaluate the strategies used to implement the MPCC Program, such as those used to deliver the education and training modules, the upskilling of champions, and making changes to indoor and outdoor spaces.”
Programs to improve the quality of care are often implemented into aged care in response to Royal Commission recommendations. However, rarely are these programs sustained and embedded into practice.
“Taking a program from a theory and implementing it into practice is very challenging and difficult. Many things in the implementation process can go wrong. This is why the Fellowship is so important as it will help us to understand the implementation strategies that worked or did not work, and provide an opportunity to refine them,” Dr Woolford said.
“This is a rare and valuable opportunity, that will support uptake and sustainability of the Program, as well as provide the evidence for an implementation roadmap that I hope to share broadly, to help the aged care sector meet government standards of delivering high-quality person-centred and safe care,” she added.
Dr Woolford acknowledged Associate Professor Darshini Ayton, Professor Janet Anderson and Associate Professor Sze-Ee Soh, who will provide guidance and support throughout her Fellowship.
“Their knowledge and expertise in implementation science, human factors, and statistical analysis will ensure that the Fellowship will be grounded in high-quality research and produce impactful outcomes,” she said.
“I am also grateful to have the opportunity to form a Consumer Advisory Committee that will guide the Fellowship and ensure that the voices of those with a lived experiences are heard”
The MPCC Program is an evidence-based program for ageing and dementia care that is underpinned by key principles of care, including person-centred strength-based care, dignity of risk and supportive engaging environments. The Program, comprising of education and training, upskilling of champions, and improvements to indoor/outdoor spaces, aims to address government priorities of delivering high-quality health and social care to people living with and without dementia in residential aged care.
“MPCC focuses on enhancing meaningful interactions in all touch points of care,” Dr Woolford said. “The approaches used in the Program are aimed to be implemented into everyday practice and involve all staff working in the home, including direct (such as personal care workers, registered nurses) and indirect (such as lifestyle teams, managers) care staff; and all residents.
“This all-inclusive approach ensures everyone works together to improve the quality of life for residents, and quality of care.”
With so many changes occurring in aged care, Dr Woolford acknowledged there was plenty of good work being done to improve the quality of care, but more was needed.
“We also know that the workforce must be supported to deliver the high-quality care that is expected of them,” she said.
“One of the greatest strengths of the MPCC Program is that it aims to support meaningful strength-based engagement in staff’s everyday interactions with residents – to work alongside residents and to do things with them, not for them. I am looking forward to seeing the impact MPCC is having on residents, and to understanding and refining the implementation strategies to support sustainability. I am very appreciative that the Dementia Australia Fellowship supports this important work”.
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