Research streams

Health and community services are an essential part of creating age-friendly communities. The Indigo 4Ms program of work is a collaborative approach to providing comprehensive, integrated care for older people living in rural northeast Victoria. Age-friendly health care ensures older people can live longer in better health.

The Indigo 4Ms Framework, developed through Victorian and Australian Government funding with the John Richards Centre as a research partner, brings together evidence-based guidelines in four interconnected areas:

• What matters
• Medication
• Mobility
• Mental wellbeing

Action in these four areas can prevent, slow, or even reverse common age-related difficulties in hearing, seeing, moving, and remembering, enabling older people to continue to flourish and participate in community life.

The John Richards Centre have played a leading role in establishing the Indigo 4Ms framework and program of work, in partnership with local health services. As part of this work, a series of resources to support rural age-friendly care have been developed:

• The Indigo 4Ms tools for older people and health care workers
• Education videos supporting health care workers, older people and health service executives to use the Indigo 4Ms

Currently, JRC researchers are involved in two large-scale projects implementing the Indigo 4Ms tools across health and community settings in northeast Victoria:

• The Indigo 4Ms in the community project (Proudly supported by State Trustees Australia Foundation thanks to generous bequests and donations)
• The Indigo 4Ms in primary health care project (funded by the Australian Government)

More information on the Indigo 4Ms program of work, and other resources and publications, can be found at the Age-Friendly North East Victoria website.

For more information on this program of research, please contact Associate Professor Rachel Winterton (r.winterton@latrobe.edu.au)

Researchers: Rachel Winterton, Andrew Butt, Lauren Rickards, & Carmela Leone

This research investigates how climate resilience can be incorporated into rural age-friendly strategic planning at local government level. Through a policy analysis of Victorian local government planning documents and interviews with planners across rural local governments, it will identify how mitigation of, and adaptation to climate impacts are considered in rural age-friendly planning processes, barriers to and priorities for action in supporting age-friendly, climate resilient rural communities.

Researchers: Rachel Winterton, Kathleen Brasher, Irene Blackberry, & Sean MacDermott

This project will build older people's skills to manage their own health and wellbeing by developing innovative resources and programs to improve age-friendly health care literacy, using the Indigo 4Ms (I4Ms) Framework, to guide program and resource design. Collective impact groups will be convened across four communities in north-east Victoria. Groups will identify common goals and indicators of success for age-friendly health literacy in their regions, and design initiatives or resources to meet specific community age-friendly health literacy needs with existing community resources. These will be implemented and evaluated against the indicators of success defined by the collective impact groups. Expected outcomes from activities include innovative evidence-based resources and programs that increase health literacy among rural older people, and development of more systemic, integrated methods of working among rural community stakeholders to address healthy ageing, through the establishment of common goals and priorities, and increased stakeholder awareness of services, supports and resources relating to rural age-friendly health care.

Researchers: Rachel Winterton, Kathleen Brasher, Carmela Leone, & Chris Maylea

This project will develop a comprehensive resource outlining best practices for supporting the Manningham Local Government Area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia, in the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities Framework. It will draw on statistical and local government data, and workshops with older people and local government stakeholders to identify spatial and socio-demographic characteristics of the Manningham LGA that may influence local age-friendly needs and priorities, identify and analyse best practices relevant to the implementation of an age-friendly program and domain-level actions across diverse international contexts, and develop a local
implementation plan and evaluation framework.

Researchers: Rachel Winterton & Clare Wilding

The project will develop and pilot a conceptual model for understanding the structure, function and adequacy of rural age-friendly health care convoys, which encompass networks of care. The project will develop an evidence-based conceptual framework that establishes the elements of care convoys (structure, function and adequacy) that impact on rural older people’s care experiences, and use this conceptual framework in interviews to explore how specific cohorts of rural older people construct and experience age-friendly health care convoys, and the factors that
influence this.

Researchers: Tshepo Rasekaba, Hanan Khalil, & Irene Blackberry

A novel pharmacy-led digital health tool designed for ongoing falls risk identification and assessment in residential aged care facilities. This project aims to enhance early detection and intervention, reducing hospitalizations and improving mobility outcomes for older adults.

Researchers: Tshepo Rasekaba, Boyd, J., & Irene Blackberry

Scoping, development, and feasibility assessment of a virtual diabetes clinic model tailored for rural and remote settings. This initiative seeks to integrate telehealth solutions with in-person care to provide comprehensive diabetes management for older adults.

Researchers: Tshepo Rasekaba & Hanan Khalil

This study explores the impact of SASHA, a digital medication dose administration aid, on the efficiency and safety of medication rounds in residential aged care (RAC) settings. By comparing data from a RAC site implementing SASHA with a control site, the research aims to assess improvements in medication administration processes, error reduction, compliance with regulatory standards, and staff satisfaction.

Funder: 5-years (2021-26), MRFF funded - Regional Victorian Trials Alliance.

Researchers: Professor Irene Blackberry, Adj. Professor Christopher Steer, Dr Tshepo Rasekaba, Dr Stacey Rich, & Dr Fisaha Tesfay.

By integrating geriatric assessments into cancer care, GO ReViTALISE seeks to optimize treatment outcomes for older patients. The initiative operates through coordination hubs at Border Medical Oncology and Haematology and La Trobe’s Albury-Wodonga campus, extending its reach to eight regional cancer centres. Achievements include successful hybrid engagement presentations across six centres, fostering a collaborative environment where multidisciplinary teams recognise the importance of geriatric assessments in improving cancer care. With two centres already implementing these practices and others preparing to follow suit, GO ReViTALISE is making significant strides in reshaping oncology care for older Australians, ensuring they receive the quality treatment they deserve.

Funder: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care – Innovative Models of Care Program.

Researchers: Mark Ashcroft, Rachel Winterton, & Kathleen Brasher on behalf of the Indigo Consortium.

This project will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of the Indigo 4Ms integrated model of care in improving comprehensive care planning for rural older people. The project will take place across five small rural primary care settings in north-east Victoria. Using a hybrid trial design, it will determine the effectiveness of the Indigo 4Ms tool in improving comprehensive care planning for older people and health workforce scope of practice; and identify strategies that enhance implementation of the Indigo 4Ms tool that can be applied to other settings.

Researchers: Rachel Winterton, Kathleen Brasher, Carmela Leone, & Steph Houghton.

This project will critically interrogate how volunteers are currently being used to support the delivery of rural age-friendly health care. It will:

• Identify how, and in what circumstances the formal volunteer sector is currently being used to support rural age-friendly health care.
• Develop a taxonomy of volunteer engagement in age-friendly health care.
• Identify the implications of this taxonomy for future research and care delivery in Australia.

Funder: Care Economy Research Institute (CERI).

Researchers: Dr Shahinoor Akter, Dr Tshepo Rasekaba, & Professor Irene Blackberry.

South Asian migrants are at a higher risk of dementia in Australia. The knowledge of dementia and experiences of accessing dementia care among this cohort is limited. The study explores what factors influence their access to dementia care services. By employong a mixed-method approach, we conducting a systematic review of literature to examine enablers and barriers to accessing dementia care among South Asian migrants in high-income countries, guided by behavioural change theory. We are also conducting an  online cross-sectional survey to assess knowledge and attitudes among South Asian adults towards dementia care and their ability to access pertinent care support services in Australia. The study outcomes will lay the foundation to develop culturally tailored dementia care intervention targeting South Asian migrant population.

Funder: Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) Industry Partner Development grant 2024.

Researchers: Sean MacDermott, Yvonne Wells, Samantha Clune, Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh, Irene Blackberry, Tshepo Rasekaba, & Deepika Ratnaike.

The Virtual Nursing program, funded by DoHAC, is being implemented in response to recommendations from the Royal Commission on Quality and Safety in Aged Care. This national program will provide 24-hour registered nurse (RN) coverage to 30 participating residential aged care providers. Most of these providers will be located in rural and remote Australia, where workforce shortages make it difficult to recruit RNs to meet mandated care requirements. The VN program is an alternative arrangement, using services like telehealth and videoconferencing to provide support and advice when an RN is not available or on-site or has limited experience in aged care.

The research team, led by Professor Yvonne Wells (AIPCA) in collaboration with Associate Professor Sean MacDermott (John Richards Centre), comprises expertise across ageing policy and service design, rural ageing, evidence-based aged care, program evaluation, implementation science, health economics and digital health. Key areas of interest for this research evaluation—the implementation, effectiveness and efficiency of the VN program—are related directly to the depth and breadth of the team’s expertise.

Funder: Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC).

Researchers: Tshepo Rasekaba, Sean MacDermott, Irene Blackberry, & Shahinoor Akter.

GreenConnect Dementia Respite Project is a groundbreaking initiative transforming dementia care in the Loddon-Mallee region of Victoria. Spearheaded by a consortium that includes La Trobe University, Heathcote Dementia Alliance, and local health services, this innovative project utilises nature-based activities to enhance the quality of life for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Funded by a substantial $1.8 million grant from the Department of Health and Aged Care, GreenConnect offers a unique respite model that encourages engagement with the natural environment through activities like gardening and nature walks.

Funder: Department of Health and Aged Care.