A program for collaborative research in ageing and aged care

Abstract

There is renewed interest in the application of information management and technology (IM&T) to ageing and aged care. This interest is driven by increases in the percentage of older people in the populations of developed countries, moves towards extending the independence of older people and encouraging more care to be delivered in the home and in the community. These trends are expected to stimulate the development and application of those technologies which will be essential as an enabling infrastructure for the changes. There is a need for assistance in the practical steps of evaluating technology, development and implementation of information standards, encouraging and enabling adoption of IM&T, and the development of rigorous financial cases for investment incorporating how benefits aims to be realised. There is also a need for the development of specific strategy for information management in aged care. All of these require a stronger research base including the development of methodologies, experimentation and learning through demonstrator projects. This paper outlines an active and collaborative research program for ageing and aged care informatics to support the development, implementation and evaluation of IM&T.