Current Projects
Children & Young People
World Youth Day 2008 - Spirituality and religious involvement
The 'Pilgrims' Progress 2008' research project is sponsored by WYD 2008. It is a major research project designed to explore young people's expectations of and responses to World Youth Day, to be held in Sydney in 2008. Secondary students and other young people who intend to attend WYD are currently being interviewed. More information about the project is available...
- Research team
- Rev Dr Michael Mason and Associate Professor Ruth Webber, ACU National, and Dr Andrew Singleton, Monash University.
- Funding
- WYD 2008
Future Generation network - Child development
Research across a range of disciplines is urgently needed to understand the complexity of pathways contributing to the healthy development of children and young people in modern societies like Australia and to develop effective strategies to improve them. Given Australia's economic prosperity and the level of knowledge about human development, it is profoundly disappointing that many child and youth problems are increasing, creating a crisis in services. This project brings together a highly talented network of researchers to work collaboratively and innovatively with policy makers and those providing services, to enable both new knowledge and implementation of what we already know, to enhance children's futures.
- Research team
- F. Stanley (University of Western Australia), R. Webber, et al. (Australia-wide consortium of youth researchers)
http://www.aracy.org.au/arcnetwork_member.htm - Funding
- Australian Research Council
- Host
- The University of Western Australia (Managing Organisation) & various other national universities and Organisations.
- Status
- Current (2004-2008)
Future Generation network - Child development
Research across a range of disciplines is urgently needed to understand the complexity of pathways contributing to the healthy development of children and young people in modern societies like Australia and to develop effective strategies to improve them. Given Australia's economic prosperity and the level of knowledge about human development, it is profoundly disappointing that many child and youth problems are increasing, creating a crisis in services. This project brings together a highly talented network of researchers to work collaboratively and innovatively with policy makers and those providing services, to enable both new knowledge and implementation of what we already know, to enhance children's futures.
- Research team
- F. Stanley (University of Western Australia), R. Webber, et al. (Australia-wide consortium of youth researchers)
http://ww.aracy.org.au/arcnetwork_member.htm - Funding
- australian research council
- Host
- the university of western australia (managing organisation) & various other national universities and organisations.
- Status
- Current (2004-2008)
Families and Older People
Structural Capacities, Processes and Outcomes of Community Assessment & Mobilizing Community Partnerships by Small Local Health Departments - Ageing
The project aims to examine the structural capacities, processes and outcomes of community assessment and community mobilization efforts in small rural agencies to identify best practices in achieving positive outcomes
- Research team
- S. Zahner, & B. Bowers
- Funding
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USA
- Status
- Current (2006-2008)
How aged care residents influence their care and quality of life - PhD study - Ageing
The aim of this grounded theory study is to conduct an in-depth examination of how residents in Residential Aged Care Facilities influence their care and quality of life. Specifically, the research sets out to discover:
- Whether and how residents become involved in their care and what areas of their care and life they try to influence or negotiate.
- The strategies residents use to communicate their needs and preferences for their care and life to staff, families and friends.
- The strategies residents use to communicate their experiences of care, and quality of life particularly in the context of day-to-day communication with staff.
- How staff perceive and respond to the residents' actions.
- Whether both staff and families change their actions in response to residents' efforts and how these either support or constrain residents' activities to influence their care.
- Researcher
- B. McKenzie-Green
- Supervisors
- B. Bowers, & M. Campbell
- Status
- Data collection and analysis in process
Accommodating the needs of people with lifelong intellectual disability in residential aged care - Intellectual disability
This study aims to examine different pathways into residential aged-care for ageing people with an intellectual disability and to identify important decision-making points and factors influencing those decisions. It examines the consequences for relevant players of placing them in a residential aged-care setting. It will track over a three-year period intellectually disabled people with health issues as they move from the disability sector to the residential aged care sector. It will gather information from a number of sources: managers, carers, target people, family members and others. The findings will inform policy development in the Aged Care, Disability and Health sectors about the support and service needs of this group.
- Research team
- R. Webber, C. Bigby (LaTrobe University), & B. Bowers (Madison University)
- Funding
- arc linkage grant and peter and margaret gill, through valesell pty ltd as atf trustee for peter gill agency trust.
- Status
- current (2007-2009)
Oganisational Practice
Nurse education, practice and retention: Enhancing a clinical/cultural work model for nurse retention. - Training for empowerment
The project is designed to develop a set of tools for use by nursing home staff, to improve the quality of care. The tools focus on enhancing the assessment skills and facilitating effective communication across individuals and shifts in relation to change in resident condition. The project includes: development tools, testing of validity and reliability of tools, testing the impact of tools use in four nursing homes, assessing the impact of tool use on hospitalization rates and staff moral.
- Research team
- D. Zimmerman & B. Bowers
- Funding
- United States Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS/PHS/HRSA), USA - Status
- Current
Building a Conceptual Model to Predict and Explain Resident Abuse and Neglect in Long Term Care - Training for empowerment
This is a feasibility study to test the use of the State Caregiver Data Base to recruit former caregivers who have been convicted of abuse or neglect of long term care consumers. It will be used to develop a more comprehensive study of the organisational influences on the occurrence of resident abuse and neglect.
- Researcher
- B. Bowers
- Funding
- UW-Madison School of Nursing Research Committee
- Status
- Current
Centre for Patient-Cantered Interventions P20 Pilot Study -Training for empowerment
This is a feasibility study of using journaling as a data collection strategy for CNAs documenting care practices in long term care settings using person centred models of care.
- Researcher
- B. Bowers
- Funding
- Implementation of Resident Centered Caregiving in LTC with an Embedded Mentoring Program
- Status
- Current
Development of Methods and Training for Assessing Personal-Experience Outcomes for Adults with Development or Physical Disabilities and Frail Elders in Wisconsin's Medicaid-Funded HCBS and Managed Long-Term Care Programs - Training for empowerment
This is a project designed to develop a new set of interview tools to be used by case managers and quality reviewers from oversight agencies in the Wisconsin Long Term Support Network. This includes developing a set of tools to be used with physically disabled, developmentally disabled and frail older adults as well as adaptations for use with individuals who have communication or cognitive disabilities. The tools will be tested for reliability and validity. A training program to train users will also be developed as part of the project.
- Research team
- S. Karon (PI) & B. Bowers (Co-Investigator)
- Funding
- DHFS
- Status
- Current
