Reducing depression in home-based aged care
The project employs digital technologies to facilitate the delivery of effective psychological strategies to home care clients.
In summary
- Swinburne and leading home care provider Silverchain are partnering to co-design and pilot a digital intervention for depression for older adults living at home
- The project has received funding from Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia
- It builds on previous work that found older people were interested in using digital technologies to support their wellbeing
With more than one million Australians receiving in-home aged care, a lack of access to effective and appropriate mental health treatments is a growing concern. It is estimated that up to half of the older people who choose to age at home experience significant symptoms of depression but many lack accessible treatment options.
A new project led by Swinburne University of Technology and leading home care provider Silverchain will seek to address this problem by co-designing and piloting a digital intervention for depression for older adults living at home.
The project has received funding from Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA).
The program, called e-EMBED (Electronic-Enhanced Management of Home-Based Elders with Depression) employs digital technologies to deliver effective psychological strategies to home care clients.
Digital delivery allows older adults the opportunity for self-directed and autonomous engagement with these treatment strategies for depression, and access to a broad range of resources to improve their wellbeing.
Swinburne clinical geropsychologist Professor Sunil Bhar says the project builds on the partnership’s previous work that found older people were interested in using digital technologies to support their wellbeing.
“The next step is to develop and pilot the digital psychological intervention for depression and evaluate its use in the home context.
“The design of the final product needs to be carefully planned together with people with depressive symptoms based on their preferences, level of digital literacy, and comfort using technology to improve their health and wellbeing.”
Silverchain Director of Research Discovery, Professor Tanya Davison says this is the first digitally-enabled mental health intervention developed specifically for the home aged care setting.
“This program will enable older Australians to access evidence-based treatments and communicate effectively with a mental health clinician in the comfort of their own homes.
“Our team will develop new tools to tailor digitally enabled approaches to meet the needs and preferences of individual older people.
“This project demonstrates our commitment to be leaders in home care internationally, provide an evidence base for effective care, and to improve the care we offer to more than 115,000 clients each year.”
-
Media Enquiries
Related articles
-
- Health
- University
Swinburne to help drive change in Victoria’s mental health system
Swinburne is an academic partner within the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing’s Adult and Older Adult Best Practice Consortium.
Thursday 10 August 2023 -
- Science
- University
New $5.2m supercomputer enhances high impact research around Australia
Swinburne University of Technology has launched its $5.2 million supercomputer that will produce groundbreaking space technology, medicine, and environmental research by researchers and partners across Australia.
Monday 14 August 2023 -
- Engineering
- Health
Do I have the right bicycle helmet and how can I tell if it’s any good? A bike helmet researcher explains
If you ride a bike and want to cut your risk of traumatic head injury, you should wear a helmet. A major Australian review of 40 different studies and 64,000 injured cyclists worldwide showed wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the risk of serious head injury by nearly 70%.
Monday 07 August 2023 -
- Health
If your kid is home sick from school, is unlimited screen time OK?
Managing a child’s screen time when they’re home sick from school has taken on a whole new dimension. For many parents, the challenge of juggling work and caring for a sick child at home inevitably leads to more TV or iPad. The digital world offers a convenient solution to keep children occupied and, to an extent, comforted.
Wednesday 19 July 2023 -
- Technology
Collaboration the key to assistive technology design and manufacture
Swinburne University of Technology’s Medical Technology Victoria (MedTechVic) is working with local industry and community groups to improve the design and manufacturing of fit-for-purpose assistive technology.
Tuesday 18 July 2023
