The project will consider how home modifications affect diverse groups of older South Australians and evaluate the costs and return on investment.

The University of South Australia (UniSA) will receive a Seed Grant of $25,000 over one year to codevelop innovative team approaches to animal care.

Experiencing the benefits of human-animal relationships can enhance the lives of many older people however, many people who wish to continue to have pets, find themselves facing a range of barriers.

This project will see researchers partner with the Animal Welfare League (SA) and Levande Lightsview Retirement Village, to trial and assess the development of ‘foster care teams’ to care for homeless pets.

UniSA will receive a second Seed Grant of $25,000 over one year to better understand the transition between loss of home ownership and the receipt of housing assistance.

In recent years, a growing number of older Australians has become reliant on housing assistance, a trend that is predicted to increase.

Researchers with this project will partner with Care Finder Housing Specialists and Believe Housing SA to examine the impact of this on wellbeing, as well as possible interventions, constraints, and opportunities for retaining homeownership.

The annual Impact Research Grants program is a key action of the new Strategic Research Agenda for Ageing Well, which was developed in partnership with Office for Ageing Well and the Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation (CHiAPRT), as well as academic, policy and consumer representatives.

The Strategic Research Agenda consists of 38 research priorities under nine pillars, with this year’s grant-funded research focusing on answering priority questions related to the ageing well pillar of ‘Homes, housing and the built environment’.

The projects also align with the Strategic Priority in South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025 of ‘Home and Community’.

Office for Ageing Well and the CHiAPRT, which is jointly based at Health Translation SA and School of Public Health University of Adelaide, will continue to work closely with grant recipients to ensure research produced involves older people and is able to guide ageing well policy and practice.

For more information, go to www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/strategicresearchagenda

Quotes attributable to Executive Director of Office for Ageing Well, Cassie Mason

I would like to congratulate Flinders University and UniSA on their success in gaining funding for these research projects, which will help address questions of community importance and promote positive ageing.

The awarded projects will allow us to learn more about areas of community interest, including how older people can age well in their own homes and maintain connections with pets.

This annual program is an important addition to our grants programs as it will help us develop evidence-based policies and practices which support all South Australians to live and age well.