Social inclusion initiative lands in aged care

The successful overseas “Ciao!” Program will be launching in aged care facilities within Australia.

Initially created by the Amplifon Foundation in Italy in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, the program was designed to to address the prolonged isolation experienced by aged-care residents. It has since supported residents in more than 230 nursing homes in Italy and Portugal.

After an initial pilot in Victoria, The National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA) — including core partners Monash University and Peninsula Health — will roll out the program across Australia.

The aim is to provide a better quality of care, as well as more positive experiences for older Australian adults in residential aged care facilities through digitally enabled social connection.

Currently more than 200,000 people reside in one of over 2600 residential aged care homes in Australia. A recent survey of more than 10,000 Australians from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found that one of the biggest challenges facing residents is loneliness and social isolation, heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasised the need to create relationship opportunities for older residents of aged care homes so that they can feel happier and less lonely.

Delivered under the NCHA Living Labs program, the pilot in Australia will initially provide six residential aged care homes from various Melbourne suburbs with live interactive content via a teleconference system and large 80″ screens. The screens will promote new opportunities for active participation through the enjoyment of interactive content, which includes chair-based yoga, virtual travel, therapeutic gardening, following the journey of a Guide Dog puppy in training, and much more.

“Ciao!” will provide opportunities for residents to connect with residents of other aged care homes through video technology, enhancing the sense of community in the homes, and enabling live online interactive sessions across participating aged care facilities.

Professor Terry Haines, Head of the School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, said the “Ciao!” Program offers an exciting opportunity to enhance engagement among residents within aged care facilities and between different facilities.

“This initiative aims to enrich the lives of those in residential aged care, addressing a need that has been overlooked for far too long,” Haines said.

“Through the collaboration of the Amplifon Foundation and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, we are introducing to Australia a model that has been successfully trialled overseas, bringing world-class research and initiatives to the Australian aged care sector.”

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