Aged Care Services Australia Group is one of Australia’s leading providers of aged care and is enthusiastically committed to continuously improving aged care in Australia. We are collaborating in research ventures whereby ACSAG fund research conducted under the auspices of La Trobe University and Monash University and additionally provide practical experience to the students involved in order to achieve the best possible learning outcome for both the student, requirements of the facility and our residents.

LaTrobe
With a professor based at Central Park, ACSAG’s largest facility, ACSAG expects to enhance aged care provision and also shed light on the quality of care and calibre of nurses required to provide this outstanding quality of care. The collaboration will encourage students to experience aged care first hand, and will potentially increase exposure to this rewarding and dynamic industry that they may not generally gain exposure to during their studies.

The research project that is currently being conducted is titled “Relocation of older people to residential aged care” submitted by Dr Julie Ellis and colleagues, Dr Susan Koch, Associate Professor and Dr Simon Black from La Trobe University.

Monash University
Music Therapy Research - TUNE
In partnership with the National Ageing Research Institute and Colorado State University, researchers from Monash University have established the Therapies Under New Examination Research Program (TUNE). TUNE have undertaken a series of projects that examine the efficacy of various complementary therapies (most notably, music therapy) to improve a broad range of psychosocial domains (including cognitive, social, emotional and behavioral functions) in gerontological populations residing in Aged Care. To this end, ACSAG has become a valued industry linkage in the TUNE research program, with residents from several ACSAG facilities participating in the TUNE research since the establishment of the program.

Prevalence of Depression
ACSAG supported a study on examining the prevalence of depression and the effects of music therapy and animal assisted therapy on depression in aged care residents.

Alzheimer type dementia
ACSAG supported a study of the cognitive effects of alternate therapies on Alzheimer type dementia. The alternate therapies included the effects of exposure to music therapy, animal assisted therapy and diversional therapy of aged care residents with probably Alzheimer’ dementia.

Other
ACSAG supported the “Nutrition and Falls Study”  which was aimed at the reduction of adverse outcomes following falls and falls reduction research program in conjunction with the Austin Hospital.