Miia Rahja

What is the focus of the research?

Identifying how policies, funding models and service structures impact how people living with dementia access rehabilitation after serious health events.

Why is this important?

Rehabilitation after serious illness or injury is a vital part of healthcare. It helps people regain skills needed for daily life, such as walking, dressing and performing personal care tasks. Unfortunately, people living with dementia are often excluded from rehabilitation services. This can lead to hospital admissions, earlier entry into residential aged care, reduced independence and poorer quality of life.

Despite rehabilitation being recognised globally as a priority, there is little large-scale evidence explaining where the gaps in access occur, why they happen, or how health systems can fix them. Dr Rahja will compare large national health datasets from Australia and Sweden. By comparing the two health systems, she will develop strong, policy-relevant evidence about inequities in rehabilitation access and the real-world consequences for people living with dementia.

What will it mean for people living with dementia?

• Fairer access to rehabilitation to regain skills and maintain independence.
• Informed approaches to support health, reduce hospital presentations and delay entry into residential care.
• More inclusive care policies.

Dr Rahja is a senior research fellow at Flinders University. She leads and coordinates major dementia research and clinical quality initiatives, including the South Australian arm of the Australian Dementia Network Screening and Trials and Clinical Quality Registry programs. Dr Rahja also works with the Registry of Senior Australians to use national data to inform policy, improve quality of care, and drive system-level change for people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.