Research
A key strategy in achieving Wintringham’s mission is the investment in research.
Our first major research project has been conducted with the generous support of the JO & JR Wicking Trust.
The Wicking Project is investigating, designing and trialing a ‘Specialised Model of Residential Care’ specifically aimed at providing long-term care options to older people with dementia resulting from acquired brain injury. The four year Project is fully titled, ‘Older People with Acquired Brain Injury and Associated Complex Behaviours: A Psychosocial Model of Care That Supports Long-term Residential Care Needs’.
The Wicking Project
Wicking One
Download Final Report
The first Wicking Project investigated, designed and trialled a ‘Specialised Model of Residential Care’ specifically aimed at providing long-term care options to older people with dementia resulting from acquired brain injury. The four year Project is fully titled, ‘Older People with Acquired Brain Injury and Associated Complex Behaviours: A Psychosocial Model of Care That Supports Long-term Residential Care Needs’.
For years, community service providers have been frustrated with the lack in availability of appropriate long-term specialised supported accommodation for older people, particularly older homeless people living with an acquired brain injury (ABI) and/or and alcohol related brain injury (ARBI).
Frequently these people present with an overlay of challenging behaviours that alienate them from most community-based residential care options. Very often they exhibit dementia-like symptoms and a complexity of care needs that require a high level of residential care and support. Residential Aged Care Funding alone is insufficient to support the intensive specialist care needs of these individuals who are left with no option but to seek alternative modes of accommodation, most of which are inappropriate and detrimental to their safety and wellbeing.
All too often, these people find themselves in a continuing cycle of increasing behavioural disturbance, hospital admissions, restrictive interventions and frequently, premature death.
The incidence of ARBI is far from confined to the homeless population. The condition is frequently misdiagnosed and very often misunderstood by health professionals, service providers and care givers. The gap in the provision of specialised long-term supported accommodation and the lack of effective information available to the aged care industry on the specialised support needs of older sufferers of ARBI is the driving force behind the development of The Wicking Project.
Wicking Two
We are thrilled that the JO & JR Wicking Trust have given their generous support to this Project and have also supported a new stage of the project, Wicking Two.
The Wicking Two Project will evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive support program in transitioning older people living with alcohol related brain injury (ARBI) and high-risk behaviours into specialist residential care and attaining improved life quality. This option of care would have previously proven unsuccessful due to prolonged or repeated episodes of acute intoxication leading to extreme levels of aggression and/or physical violence presenting significant risk of harm to the individual themselves or to others.
Currently there are very few appropriate residential care options available to this group of people. As a consequence many older people become trapped in a cycle of repeated episodes of homelessness and frequent engagement with the crisis and emergency service system.
This project commenced at Wintringham’s Eunice Seddon facility in 2012.
Find a list of all Wicking related papers and presentations here:
Download Final Report
