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Rationale: Veterans living with dementia in long‐term care have complex needs, with variable manifestation of symptoms of dementia that interact with their lived experience. Best practice dementia care prioritises nonpharmacological interventions; of which few have strong evidence. Implementation of evidence is complex, with evaluation of outcomes and processes necessary. Aims and Objectives: This paper details the evaluation of implementation, at veteran and organisational level, of the Weaving Evidence into Action for Veterans with Dementia (WEAVE) programme. Methods: A Type 2 hybrid effectiveness‐implementation design was used, underpinned by the Implementation Framework for Aged Care (IFAC). Programme intervention incorporated music therapy, exercise, reminiscence therapy and/or sensory modulation, offered over a 24‐week period. Evaluation components included: (1) programme effectiveness for veterans with dementia for responsive behaviour, physical wellbeing, cognitive status, emotional state, medications and falls (at baseline, 8‐week, 16‐week and 24‐week); and (2) implementation outcomes of reach and adoption, feasibility and acceptability, fidelity (via interviews) and a preliminary cost analysis. Results: Thirty‐eight veterans participated in the 24‐week programme, with high levels of engagement in interventions of their choice. Statistically significant improvements were seen across all veteran‐level outcome measures, for functional capacity and reduced neuro‐psychiatric and depressive symptoms. Ten staff members were interviewed, highlighting co‐designed core elements were feasible and acceptable, and the momentum generated by resident and staff enthusiasm. Cost analysis included costs of programme set‐up and running the 24‐week intervention. Conclusion: Key components of programme success were the therapeutic leaders, adherence to core elements of programme design, and veterans' choice in meaningful activity. Cost analysis supports deliberations for upscale across further care homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergenerational programs that bring the young and old together are known to facilitate social connections. However, benefits of intergenerational programs cannot be achieved by simply bringing the two generations together. We need to understand the factors which enhance intergenerational engagement. This paper specifically explores barriers and enablers for improving engagement of older people in an intergenerational program conducted within four research sites in South East Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Video ethnography was used to examine the intergenerational environment and observe patterns of engagement between older people and children. Findings reveal the type of activity, group structure and length of activity to increase engagement of older people in an intergenerational program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and child general practitioner (GP) visits in the first 12 months of life. Methods. A longitudinal analysis of 1202 mother and child dyads was conducted as part of the Environments for Healthy Living study from south-east Queensland, Australia, for participants enrolled between 2006 and 2009. Maternally reported survey data (sociodemographic and child health information) were linked with individual Medical Benefits Scheme data from birth to 12 months, identifying GP service use. Results. On average, children visited the GP 10.2 times in the first 12 months of life. An inverse relationship was found for SES and child GP visits, with maternal education and child gender the strongest predictors of the total number of GP visits. Almost 70% of participants had all GP consultations bulk billed and only 3.5% paid more than A$100 in total. Conclusions. Children from lower SES families may have a greater need for health services due to higher rates of illness and injury. Bulk billing and low-cost access to GP services, regardless of length of consultation, improve equity of access; however, indirect costs may prevent low-income mothers from accessing care for their child when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research capacity building (RCB) in Australia has recently focussed on strategies that take a whole of system approach to developing research culture at individual, team and organisation levels. Although a theoretical framework exists, no tool has been published that quantitatively measures the effectiveness of RCB interventions aimed at these three levels. A sample of 134 allied health workers was used to validate the research capacity and culture (RCC) tool. Item level analysis was undertaken using Cronbach's α and exploratory factor analysis, and test-retest reliability was examined using intra-class correlations (ICC). The tool had one factor emerge for each domain, with excellent internal consistency for organisation, team and individual domains (α = 0.95, 0.96 and 0.96 respectively; and factor loadings ranges of 0.58-0.89, 0.65-0.89 and 0.59-0.93 respectively). The overall mean score (total) for each domain was: 5.4 (inter-quartile range 3.9-7.7), 4.4 (IQR 2.6-6.1) and 3.9 (IQR 2.9-6) for the organisation, team and individual domains respectively. Test-retest reliability was strong for each domain: organisation ICC = 0.77, team ICC = 0.83 and individual ICC = 0.82. The RCC tool has three domains measuring research capacity and culture at organisation, team and individual levels. It demonstrates excellent internal consistency and strong test-retest reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]