Improving the Australian aged care system through robust and policy-relevant research

Impact: Policy impacts, Society impacts

Description of impact *

Aged care is a key Australian Government policy focus, with population ageing increasing demand, expenditure, and the need for greater quality and reduced complexity in the aged care system. The policy team at MUCHE (led by Professor Cutler), in conjunction with researchers in MQ Accounting have been involved in a series of highly impactful research projects in this space, which carry social, wellbeing and economic benefits for the community. By informing Government around policy settings, this research which will help maximise impacts from planned funding and reforms. The first of these was a 2020-21 project for the Aged Care Financing Authority (ACFA) to explore the role of Refundable Accommodation Deposits (RADs) in the residential aged care sector, resulting in a detailed report presented to the Department of Health and an external webinar to key stakeholders. The research formed part of the Review of Refundable Accommodation Deposits in Aged Care. From 2019-2021, MUCHE was funded by the Ecstra Foundation to research the financial literacy of informal carers and aged care financial decision-making, a project resulting in two discussion papers, an external webinar for stakeholders, a European Health Economics Association (EuHEA) seminar, an article in The Conversation, and a piece in the Australian Health Economics Society newsletter, targeted at policymakers. MUCHE researchers also recently conducted research on the impacts of increasing market forces in residential aged care. The findings were presented by Professor Cutler to the Productivity Commission, the Department of Health, and the Economics Society of Australia seminar series (by invitation).
Impact date2019 → 2023
Category of impactPolicy impacts, Society impacts
Impact levelEmerging (pre)

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