The 3C Program: Improving Residential Respite Care for Recipients and their Carers

Researchers at NARI and Austin Health are currently undertaking a program that aims to improve health outcomes and quality of respite care for individuals accessing respite care, their day-to-day carers and aged care staff - this is called the 3C Program. 

The 3C team are seeking the support of older adults entering respite care to take part in the program alongside their day-to-day carers. Participation will involve some health assessments and the filming of short videos that highlight the day-to-day life and challenges faced by people going into respite care, and their carers. 

We are seeking the participation of older people who are about to go into respite care. We are also seeking the participation of their day-to-day carers. Ideally these people will take part as a pair. That means the individual accessing respite and their carer will both take part in the program at the same time. Pairs who wish to take part must be accessing respite care at an aged care facility located in the Melbourne metropolitan area. 

Participation will involve a 1-2 hour visit from a registered nurse on our team. This will be conducted in participants’ homes or other safe locations, which may include the care home in which they are receiving respite care. During participation in the study, the nurse will: 

• Perform a health assessment with the participating pairs. 
• Write up a summary of the person going into respite’s current health. 
• Film some short videos showing the person going into respite’s daily life and any current health concerns they may have

This will process will be supported by a doctor on our team. The information and videos we produce will be handed over to staff at the care home being accessed for respite. We will encourage that staff use this information to help provide quality respite care for participants. 

Later down the track, we may conduct some follow up assessments and ask about participants’ experiences with respite care once their respite has concluded. We may also ask about participants’ experiences with the 3C Program. 

If you are the carer of someone going into respite care and wish to volunteer yourself and the person you care for, please e-mail 

• Liam Borelli-Millott at l.borelli-millott@nari.edu.au or 
• Dr. Christa Dang at c.dang@nari.edu.au