Southcare partners with Griffith University to conduct Wellness Research

With our purpose of being a proactive carer, connector and contributor in our community, it goes without saying that we care about our customers!

It’s for that reason, we partnered with Griffith University to conduct a wellness survey with our customers, as part of a national study into the general state of the wellbeing of older Australians.

The survey, part of the Western Australia Intergenerational Practice Pilot, was conducted between August and December 2020 measuring the overall wellbeing of people over the age of 65 who live independently.

One key element of research explored the effect of COVID-19 on our customers feelings of loneliness, resilience and hope. Preliminary findings are in, and indicate those who maintained social networks and connections had a higher level of personal well-being and feeling of connectedness with the community at a time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Nicky Howe said being involved in the research provided a great opportunity for members of our team, across the whole business, to have heartfelt conversations with our customers to understand how they are feeling during COVID-19.

”The results are helpful in supporting our use of evidence-based practice by confirming we were on the right track, as we continued to adapt in response to customer and community needs since the outbreak of COVID-19”  Dr Howe said.

Gabriela Di Perna, Project Manager of Intergenerational Practice Pilot in Western Australia, expressed on behalf of the research team, a big THANK YOU to Southcare for participating and supporting the Intergenerational Practice Pilot in WA. The preliminary results of the data analysis just confirm what an important role we and our staff play in maintaining connections for older people in our community.

“If this survey and the past year has taught us anything, it is that we are stronger together,” Dr Howe said.

Read the full article from Griffith University here for more information about the wellness survey pre-liminary results and the collaboration between Griffith University and WA not-for-profit and community organisations.