​Sarah Judd-Lam and Francisca Loyola-Sandoval​

Carers NSW

​As anyone working in aged care will have experienced, family and friend carers have a vital role as partners in supporting the wellbeing of the older person, both in residential and home care settings, and when accessing services such as respite care. Family and friend carers provide support in myriad ways, including physical, social, emotional, and financial support; typically taking on roles as advocates and substitute decision makers. [1] Adopting an evidence-based approach to support and enhance these crucial carer relationships is vital. However, implementing best-practice approaches and referrals to address the unmet needs of carers can pose challenges for aged care providers, especially when their primary focus is on the older person who is their funded client. 

​Sarah Judd-Lam, Executive Manager Policy, Development and Research at Carers NSW, describes how the Carer Knowledge Exchange can bridge the knowledge gap for aged care providers and their staff, connecting them to research, and creating awareness on how best to support family and friend carers.   

​She says, “the Carer Knowledge Exchange (CKE), a collaboration between Carers NSW and the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney, is now making it easier to access the carer evidence base, and to find and share experience and expertise to improve outcomes for family and friend carers across Australia. Proudly funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, the CKE includes a research library, regular interactive events and webinars, and opportunities to connect with others via a Discussion Forum and Carer Hub “ 

​The Research Library hosts searchable Australian research on diverse carer-related topics. Aged Care Services from Afar: What matters to Australian Long-Distance Care Givers [2] and Mental health outcomes of carers during the transition of their family member to residential aged care [3] are just two examples of the many articles available that would interest aged care providers and staff.    

​The catalogue of CKE webinars continues to grow, with a wide range of topics on offer, sharing the expertise of researchers, practitioners and carers, and emphasising the importance of evidence. As Laila Hallam, Chair of the Consumer Leaders in Health Collective explained in a CKE webinar on Carer Engagement in Health Care Settings, “If you are articulating a particular position, it can be seen as an opinion. What we’re trying to do is put knowledge behind that. It’s really important that it’s not just my voice saying something, it’s able to be backed up, there are a few ways of doing this, and evidence is one way”.  

​Sarah Judd-Lam explains that “the Carer Knowledge Exchange aims to be accessible to everyone, including practitioners, and family and friend carers themselves, with opportunities for them to help shape research and advocacy, and learn from the work of others to inform their own caring role.” 

​The next CKE interactive webinar ‘Empowering carers when systems are complex’ will explore how carer empowerment can be promoted and sustained in service settings with a focus on ongoing reviews and reforms in the disability, Aged Care, and carer support sectors - Wednesday 21st February 2024 from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Register at https://bit.ly/CKE_Webinar8

​You can also learn more and stay in touch with the CKE by signing up to the CKE mailing list or following on Facebook or LinkedIn.

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Paul Ross

Librarian & information specialist

Access to online information has never been easier, though, finding information that is relevant and trustworthy, can be more challenging. The Internet provides access to various types of information for research purposes, however, as the operators of the Internet, we need certain skills and knowledge (digital literacy) to make the best use of it.

​When using an Internet search engine, your results will likely contain a mixture of online media (social, news, blogs, wiki, videos), governmental, individual, organisational and academic content. Yet which can we trust, and what skills do we need, to have confidence in the decisions we are making from the information found online?

​Digital literacy broadly describes the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to address or solve a problem. It’s about having the skills to make meaning from information found using digital technologies (computers, mobiles, electronic devices). However, a digital divide can occur when unequal access to knowledge due to differences in education, demographics (age, gender, socioeconomic, culture) geographic limitations, skills and access to technology. For all users, especially older people, it can be difficult to keep up with the advances that come with technological development, especially if they require consumers that are ‘tech savvy’ to be able to engage with services such as My Aged Care. To help with this, the Australian Government has created the Be Connected initiative. Individuals working in aged care themselves, can also experience a lack of confidence in using and exploring new technologies, due to a lack of ongoing digital literacy training and support, to support this we have created our free Innovator Training Program.  

​Tips for searching for information online:

1. ​Enquire: Run a basic search with either a question or just the terms (keywords) you currently think are relevant. Visit online search tips for more. 
2. ​Review: Scan the results for relevance to your enquiry, at this stage practice click restraint, create a new folder in your bookmarks, for relevant results you want to save for later. Pay attention to the variety of words that describe your concept and take a note of them. Using frequently used terms for your search can result in more specific results.
3. ​Amend: Go back and amend your original search, with any new terms and rerun the search. To manage your results, use the advance settings if available and limit to region / site (ORG/EDU/GOV) / file types or in the basic settings arrange by date, so you see the most current. Again, use your bookmarks to save content of interest. For more advanced amendments try these.
4. ​Read: Look at what you have gathered, note how the topic is discussed, what other elements are related to it? These might be worth separate searches as you narrow down and continue to educate yourself on the subject.
5. ​Trust: Whatever source you look at, check its integrity by looking at the end of the page, was it updated recently, does the information have references, is it an individual’s option or is it something a government or academic publisher has produced. Neither are full proof, but you need to check quality and credibility of your sources.
6. ​Variation: Try different search engines, or focus down into organisations by using their own site search, to see if they contain the type of research, you’re interested in. For example, search aged care organisations sites for research collections or their publications sections. Check in the help of each search engine for articles or information on how they formulate their search results, to give you the best understanding of how to operate each. Like this Google one.

​Following these steps, no matter what information you’re looking for and remember that a five-minute search, provides five-minutes’ worth of confidence, where a longer search can provide greater confidence in both your knowledge about subject, alongside increasingly the quality and trustworthiness of your results. For more information into finding information online using search engines, try ARIIA’s ‘online searches’ for one-click searches, using Google, on our priority topics, as a possible starting point to your research or try our collection of resources. No matter how you look at it, the Internet provides the capacity to gain knowledge quickly and efficiently from a wide range of sources. However, using search engines are just one part of a wider research process. Therefore, in our next in blog, we will look in more detail at how organisational websites and evidence collections, relevant to aged care, can add value to your research needs.​

To visit our next blog in the series, on the subject of searching online on using organisational sources, visit our organisation sources blog.

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Mehak Oberai, Dr Shannon Rutherford; Dr Steven Baker, Dr Jeni Warburton

​​Griffith University (Ethos Project)​ 

​​As our sunburnt country is now bracing for hot, dry summers driven by the El Nino cycle, it is crucial to prepare Australian populations, particularly older people, to avoid health consequences associated with extreme heat.   

​For older persons, extreme heat impacts morbidity and mortality due to various factors. Changes in the body’s thermoregulation as we age- and increasing heat-sensitive conditions such as cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, mental or renal issues increase their vulnerability. Also, factors related to social isolation, access to effective cooling options, and economic status can further exacerbate their risk. Despite the knowledge of why older persons are more at risk, we know little about their awareness of heat health risks, perceptions, or attitudes about cooling behaviours. In 2022, the Ethos (extreme heat and older persons) research team at Griffith University conducted a statewide survey to assess the heat risk knowledge, perception, and cooling behaviour of older Queenslanders (n=547) as part of a bigger study to develop an individualised early warning system for heatwaves in order to improve ageing in place.  

​The findings of the Ethos survey highlight the need to raise awareness around heat health risks and heat preparedness in this cohort. Although there was a high awareness of heat as an extreme event for the country (89%), there was a low awareness of heat as a health risk among older Queenslanders (only 25%). A large proportion of respondents (87%) reported suffering from chronic health conditions, with 70% suffering from cardiovascular, respiratory, or renal issues. These conditions are, known to be exacerbated by heat. However, over a quarter (39%) of these respondents did not know that having a chronic condition makes them more susceptible to heat or increases their risk of hospitalisation. Whilst over a half (58%) of the respondents would go to their primary healthcare providers if they felt unwell during hot weather, a large proportion (78%) did not recall being told by a health professional that their health problems could make them more susceptible to heat health impacts.  

​These findings indicate an urgent need to promote awareness of the dangers of extreme heat amongst older people, particularly those with chronic health conditions. It also suggests that primary healthcare providers can play a key role. It is crucial for older people to have a heatwave action or response plan in place with their GP or other healthcare provider as part of health assessments and care planning for a heatwave situation. Primary healthcare professionals clearly have a role to play in supporting older people to be prepared for a heatwave and avoid potential deaths but also highlights the critical heat preparedness requirements of the aged care sector, particularly those involved with in-home care responsibilities.​ 

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Paul Ross

Librarian & information specialist (ARIIA)

It’s quite amazing to think, at our fingertips, we have access to more information, than any other generation before us. Online technologies like the internet, provide access to search engines and websites, enabling us to type in keywords or questions, which in turn provide results signposting us to information that deliver answers to our individual needs. The sheer diversity of online content means we can access a broad range of content across sites such as:

• Local (.au / .uk / .us) 
• International (any region) 
• Commercial (.org / .com) 
• Governmental (.gov) 
• Educational (.edu) 

We truly have ‘the world at our feet’ and at our fingertips. Yet with great power, comes greater responsibility. For example, what do we already know about our search? Should we trust the answers to it? What will we do with the information as a result? All these questions matter greatly when using online knowledge to make decisions, especially if the answers affect our own or others’ lives. Yet somewhere in between running a search and expert knowledge, lies the pitfalls of information quality and the potential for information overload, running alongside a nagging hunger for quick and relevant answers to our needs. These invisible motivational factors of purpose, time, and trust, all play a crucial role in seeking information online.  

Whether you’re a consumer or family member looking for information to support care decisions, or a worker seeking to find information surrounding a particular care topic, you’ll want to know what to trust and where to find it easily. At Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) within the Knowledge and Implementation Hub (KIH) we have created a variety of ways for you to access information easily while providing additional tips on how to find your own, saving you time and effort, when seeking research that matters to your information needs.  

By detailing the main sources of information collection such as search engines, databases, and organisational websites we provide advice, and helpful tips and tricks to make your searching a smooth and rewarding experience. We will be presenting three further blogs on searching. The first will look at how to use search engines effectively by managing results to ensure that the numbers are not overwhelming. We will also have a specific blog on looking at organisational websites and evidence collections, detailing what to look for about the quality of information and how to use it in your broader aged care search. In our third and final blog in the series, we will look at databases for aged care, by understanding some of the key issues in finding information related to aged care and how to find the information you need in the quickest ways possible. So, join us in our next blog and find out more about searching for research and information into aged care.  

Until then, if you’re a care worker and want to learn more about skills in finding information on aged care topics, try our Innovator Training Program. Or, if you’re a consumer, student or professional and want to know some of the basics surrounding evidence-based change, try our innovator essentials series.

To visit our next blog in the series, on the subject of searching online on using search sources, visit our search sources blog.

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.