We should aspire to a future when getting older doesn't automatically mean losing independence.
Australia is getting older, but the real question is not simply how long we live, it is how well we live for those extra years.
For the thousands of older Australians and families we support at My Guardian, that distinction is incredibly important. Living longer only has real value if people can maintain their health, independence, relationships and connection to the communities they call home.
That is why I believe aged care and disability care providers have an important role to play beyond delivering care. It’s why we’re helping lead the conversation about health research and, importantly, helping turn scientific discoveries into better outcomes for the people we support.
Our partnership with the Health Research Institute (HRI) is grounded in this idea. Research and care should not exist in separate worlds.
Every day, our teams see the realities of ageing. We see frailty, falls, declining mobility, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Often, these conditions don’t occur in isolation.
They overlap, creating increasingly complex challenges for individuals and their families.
Research can help us understand why these conditions develop in the first place, and, crucially, whether we can identify and address risks earlier.
The work being undertaken into vascular ageing is a powerful example. Researchers at HRI are discovering that changes in the health of our blood vessels may play a role not only in cardiovascular disease and stroke, but also in conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
That has enormous implications for the future of ageing.
If we can better understand the biological processes that contribute to disease, identify warning signs earlier and develop more targeted interventions, we may be able to change the trajectory of people’s health before they reach the point where they need significant levels of care.
For someone receiving home care, that could mean something very practical. It means more time living independently in the home they love.
It could mean fewer hospital admissions. Better mobility. Maintaining the ability to cook a meal, go shopping, see friends, attend community activities or simply remain in familiar surroundings with dignity and confidence.
This is ultimately what good home care should be about. It shouldn’t just respond to someone’s changing health. Wherever possible, it should help people maintain their health and independence for as long as possible.
But that requires the care sector to be willing to look beyond what we are doing today.
Healthcare has made extraordinary advances because researchers have been willing to ask difficult questions about how disease develops and how it can be prevented. The aged care sector should be equally ambitious.
We need to be asking questions. What will ageing look like in 10 or 20 years? What can we do differently today to help people arrive at that point healthier? And how can we translate discoveries in laboratories into practical improvements in people’s everyday lives?
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That last question is particularly important.
There can sometimes be a significant gap between an exciting scientific discovery and its impact on a person’s life. This is where organisations like mine and other care providers can play a role. We are close to the people who ultimately benefit from research. We understand the challenges families face and can help researchers understand what meaningful improvements actually look like in the real world.
The relationship needs to work both ways.
Researchers need the support and resources to pursue promising discoveries. Care providers need to be willing to engage with that research and help explore how it can translate into practice.
And the industry as a whole should be prepared to invest in the future.
Supporting scientific research isn’t simply about funding a laboratory or backing an academic program. It is an investment in the future health and quality of life of the people our sector exists to serve.
Australia’s ageing population makes this more urgent, not less.
We should aspire to a future when getting older doesn’t automatically mean losing independence. When earlier detection and better treatments allow people to remain active for longer. When care is increasingly preventative and personalised, rather than simply reactive.
And when the measure of success isn’t just how many years we add to someone’s life, but how many good years we add to it.
That is why aged care providers should be part of the research conversation. It is also why more organisations across our industry should consider how they can support the scientists working to make healthy ageing a reality.
If we want Australians to live better for longer, we need to invest in understanding ageing today. The future of care depends on it.
Jad Haber is the CEO and co-founder of My Guardian.