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Breaking down the barriers
10 January 2012
Ageing is part of life but for people with a disability there are often barriers when it comes to accessing aged care.
IRT Remuneration and Benefits Advisor Heather Marciano has been researching this very issue and travelled to New Zealand in December to co-present her research with Professor Patrick Dawson and Associate Professor Michael Zanko of the University of Wollongong (UOW) at the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) conference.
The ANZAM conference focused on the future of work and organisations, which made the presentation very relevant and well received. “Participants were interested in the evolving issues for ageing people with disability and their ageing parent/carers, and how IRT and Greenacres Disability Services were working together to manage the change when addressing those issues,” Heather said.
Heather explained the presentation’s foundations started with her UOW research internship, which she completed in 2010. The research results led to Professor Dawson and his colleagues using the internship report to develop a research paper for ANZAM.
Heather’s research found that people with intellectual disability often show the signs of ageing earlier than the general population. “With access to aged services based on chronological age, people with disabilities may be considered ineligible if they are not ‘over 65 and assessed as frail aged’,” she said. “My research, conducted in partnership with IRT, Greenacres and UOW looked at all the barriers ageing people with disability face in accessing aged care services.”
Heather completed her studies and internship and then accepted a role at IRT. Her internship supervisor Dr Chris Sykes was interested in continuing the research, and together they made a presentation to IRT’s Executive Leadership Team, which supported Dr Sykes’ proposal to continue Heather’s research at IRT.
From there a pilot program was undertaken and completed in December 2011, which integrated Greenacres’ ageing clients into a day services program at IRT Woonona. Dr Sykes conducted action research on how both organisations managed the change associated with the integration of people with a disability into aged care.
Heather said there was a need for a well planned and supported transition from disability services into aged care services for ageing people with intellectual disability, and a need to properly prepare staff through combined disability/aged care education and training.
Assisting people with an intellectual disability is Heather’s passion. “This project allowed me to research an emerging issue facing ageing people with intellectual disability and their carers with a view to making a difference,” she said.
For further information please contact:
Melissa Michie
Communications Coordinator
Phone: 4221 6653 or 0419 789 841
Note to Editors: Please refer to IRT as “IRT” not “Illawarra Retirement Trust” – thank you
About IRT:
IRT is one of Australia’s largest community based seniors lifestyle and care providers. It has been providing seniors lifestyle and care solutions for over 40 years. IRT manages communities in more than 30 locations across the Illawarra, South Coast of NSW, Sydney and Canberra and provides solutions to over 6000 customers.
