The Aged Care Centre for Growth and Translational Research (CGTR) will open at Flinders University early next year, with a focus on addressing long-standing barriers to the development, evaluation and uptake of aged care workforce research.
CGTR is a core recommendation in the Aged Care Workforce Strategy which was released by Government in September 2018.
The work will initially focus on four priority areas – dementia care, restorative care and rehabilitation, mental health and wellbeing, and social isolation.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator Richard Colbeck, said the centre was an important investment in improving the quality of aged care services.
“This is a big step forward when it comes to ensuring the needs of older Australians in care are not just met, but exceeded,” Minister Colbeck said.
Aged Care Workforce Industry Council CEO, Louise O’Neill, said “This is a significant achievement in response to the aged care workforce strategy ‘A Matter of Care’.
“The translational research centre has a key role in driving improvement in aged care service delivery and workforce capability,” she said.
The CGTR will focus on the development of innovations to improve workforce capability (e.g. new models of care) and the development of assistive technologies to enable care recipients to maintain independence for longer.
Research applications at the centre open in February 2022. This will include support for aged care workers to trial new ways of delivering care.
