The Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing (AIPCA) is a dedicated research and consultancy organisation within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, operating since the late 1990s. Through research, consultancy and educational activities, AIPCA advances knowledge and promotes quality improvement and consumer driven, evidence-based practice in all areas of primary health, community health and aged care.
AIPCA is funded primarily through successful competitive tendering with government and industry partners. For some people, core funding comes through service agreements with the Victorian Department of Health that have been in place for more than fifteen years.
Our goal is to make a significant, positive and enduring impact on the way health, community and aged care is delivered and accessed. Internally within the School, AIPCA also contributes to teaching and curriculum development and has a number of HDR students.
AIPCA is recognised by La Trobe as one research centre but consists of four groups with different areas of focus:
- Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC)
- Centre for Health Systems Development (CHSD)
- E-Health Unit (E-Health)
- Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing (Lincoln)
The focus of ACEBAC is on residential aged care, involving research, education and professional practice. They translate evidence into real-world practice and make a quality difference for older people, families and staff. Most staff within ACEBAC have a nursing background.
CHSD undertakes evaluations and health services research across the health system. It specialises in the evaluation of and research into aspects of community health, primary health care, public health, mental health, drugs and alcohol, and health promotion programs and policies. CHSD staff have backgrounds in public health, community health, health promotion, mental health, and behavioural science.
E-Health conducts research, evaluation and provides advice on the emerging use and impact of information and communications technologies in the Australian primary health and aged care sectors. The main focus of E-Health in recent years has been research and education for aged care assessment agencies. Staff backgrounds are technology, education and nursing.
Lincoln aims to promote a multidisciplinary understanding of the health, wellbeing and care of older people and conducts research and undertakes consultancies in the areas of aged care service evaluation and development and social gerontology including health status, health promotion, housing and employment for older people. Staff have backgrounds in the areas of psychology and public health.
Please feel free to contact us for any further information, or visit our website.
