RSL Care RDNS (Bolton Clarke Research Institute) in partnership with Queensland University of Technology has been awarded an ARIIA grant for their ‘Reducing need-driven dementia-compromised behaviour by addressing constipation – developing and preparing the translation of best-practice through co-design’ project.
This innovative one-year applied research project addresses the ‘dementia’ and ‘restorative care, reablement and rehabilitation’ priorities and will fill the evidence gap of how to best manage a commonly overlooked health issue associated with need-driven dementia-compromised behaviour, namely constipation.
This project focuses on improving workforce capability and capacity in caring for people living with dementia. The overarching aim is to co-design the development and translation of an evidence-based multi-component nursing and care staff intervention to prevent constipation in people with dementia in Residential Aged Care (RAC). Objectives include 1) synthesising available scientific evidence and evaluating current practices in RAC and from other specialities and 2) collaborating with key stakeholders (e.g., residents, their family carers, health and care workers) to define best practice on how to best assess and prevent constipation in this vulnerable older population.
Our co-designed Implementation Framework Aged Care (IFAC) will be used to guide the intervention development and its subsequent translation into practice (i.e., Why? What? With whom? By Whom? How?). Co-designed preventative constipation strategies that are relevant and appropriate for residents living with dementia, their family carers, and RAC health and care workers, will ultimately support residents and prevent dementia-compromised behavioural issues associated with constipation.