A research project assessing the impact of home modifications and how they contribute to older South Australians living independently at home for longer, is among three projects to share in $150,000 as part of the inaugural Impact Research Grants for Ageing Well.
Flinders University will receive a Major Project Grant of $100,000 over two years from Office for Ageing Well, to examine how homes can be modified to better support people to age well, maximise their participation in meaningful activities, and reduce their support needs.
The project will consider how home modifications affect diverse groups of older South Australians and evaluate the costs and return on investment.
The University of South Australia (UniSA) will receive a Seed Grant of $25,000 over one year to codevelop innovative team approaches to animal care.
Experiencing the benefits of human-animal relationships can enhance the lives of many older people however, many people who wish to continue to have pets, find themselves facing a range of barriers.
This project will see researchers partner with the Animal Welfare League (SA) and Levande Lightsview Retirement Village, to trial and assess the development of ‘foster care teams’ to care for homeless pets.
UniSA will receive a second Seed Grant of $25,000 over one year to better understand the transition between loss of home ownership and the receipt of housing assistance.
In recent years, a growing number of older Australians has become reliant on housing assistance, a trend that is predicted to increase.
Researchers with this project will partner with Care Finder Housing Specialists and Believe Housing SA to examine the impact of this on wellbeing, as well as possible interventions, constraints, and opportunities for retaining homeownership.
The annual Impact Research Grants program is a key action of the new Strategic Research Agenda for Ageing Well, which was developed in partnership with Office for Ageing Well and the Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation (CHiAPRT), as well as academic, policy and consumer representatives.
The Strategic Research Agenda consists of 38 research priorities under nine pillars, with this year’s grant-funded research focusing on answering priority questions related to the ageing well pillar of ‘Homes, housing and the built environment’.
The projects also align with the Strategic Priority in South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025 of ‘Home and Community’.
Office for Ageing Well and the CHiAPRT, which is jointly based at Health Translation SA and School of Public Health University of Adelaide, will continue to work closely with grant recipients to ensure research produced involves older people and is able to guide ageing well policy and practice.
