Southern Cross Care in partnership with Bond University has been awarded an ARIIA grant for their ‘Better discharge pathways for community-dwelling aged care clients following short-term restorative programs’ project.
The Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) program is an eight-week government funded initiative that aims to increase the functional health of older Australians. Southern Cross Care (SCC) delivers a multidisciplinary evidence-based version of STRC that significantly increases clients’ physical and mental wellbeing, self-rated health, and quality of life regardless of their age, level of disability or comorbidities.
This project will address these gaps by formalising SCC’s STRC delivery model within a Restorative Program Manual and by designing and trialling a Self-Management Tool to empower sustained engagement in beneficial exercise and allied health therapies (services) based around client goals, circumstances, and local service availability.
The Self-Management Tool and Restorative Program Manual will optimise participation and discharge outcomes for STRC program participants and have national implications for the healthy ageing of older community dwelling Australians. This project has been positively endorsed by the Department of Health Community Aged Care Reform Group.