Innovation in aged care

In the aged care sector, significant transformations are underway, driven by various socio-demographic shifts and policy reforms. Australia, in particular, is witnessing substantial changes, including policy overhauls, a shift towards community-based services, and a rise in for-profit aged care providers.

The implementation of innovation in aged care is a multifaceted process, heavily influenced by contextual factors. While the term "innovation" encompasses a wide array of changes, ranging from technology adoption to care models, its success hinges on its compatibility with the specific service setting.

Although health care implementation has been extensively studied, aged care implementation research lags behind. Unlike health care, aged care involves broader service scopes, long-term relationships, and distinct care goals focused on quality of life rather than cure.

A recent scoping review aimed to identify the factors that influence the implementation of innovations in aged care; and explore the scope and limitations of the aged care implementation research literature.

Prior research has examined various aspects of aged care implementation, highlighting factors such as evidence quality, resource availability, and leadership support. However, gaps persist, especially regarding community-based aged care services, which are witnessing significant growth yet lack research attention.

Consumer involvement in aged care research is essential for ensuring relevance and effectiveness. The scoping review found that, despite the principle of inclusion, studies often overlook the perspectives of older people and their representatives.  

The review also found that the use of implementation frameworks in aged care research remains limited, despite their potential to enhance project viability and success. Challenges include a lack of capacity, unfamiliarity with frameworks, and a pragmatic, action-oriented approach among practitioners:

“Our novel findings highlight important shortcomings in this growing field in terms of the limited use of theory to underpin research, infrequent involvement of consumers to ensure the relevance and value of work, and little attention to community-based services. With the global population aging, and imminent major policy initiatives in numerous countries, aged care is a dynamic sector. Effective implementation of innovative practices and models is needed to ensure continuous improvement.

Implementing innovation in aged care demands a nuanced understanding of contextual factors, active consumer involvement, and the judicious application of implementation frameworks. Bridging these gaps is essential for driving sustainable improvements in aged care services.

The scoping review, Factors that influence the implementation of innovation in aged care, is available in Issue 1 2024 of JBI Evidence Implementation.