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Bolton Clarke Research Institute

Bolton Clarke Research Institute

Bolton Clarke Research Institute is leading the way in positive ageing – enabling, celebrating and supporting older people to live full, happy and healthy lives.

Embedded within Australia’s largest independent not-for-profit aged care provider, we are uniquely placed to conduct and translate research into real services and solutions that enhance the lives of older Australians.

Who we are

The Bolton Clarke Research Institute conducts and translates research into services and solutions that enhance the lives of older Australians.

<p>A connected multi-disciplinary team</p>

A connected multi-disciplinary team

Our team’s clinical, care, and academic expertise paired with our global collaborative network drives aged care research.

<p>Working together across the implementation journey</p>

Working together across the implementation journey

Underpinned by co-design, we translate the evidence-base into practice, by working closely with our residents, clients and families, and care teams.

<p>Evaluating for real impact</p>

Evaluating for real impact

Our data-driven approach ensures we deliver and demonstrate real outcomes with sustainable change.

Our team

The Bolton Clarke Research Institute comprises a multi-disciplinary team of research fellows and officers, and is underpinned by a strong governance framework including an ethics committee.

For more than 20 years, the Research Institute has been at the forefront of research that is helping older people to live full, happy and healthy lives.

Meet our team

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Making an impact

We implement and evaluate innovations, programs and initiatives that deliver real outcomes.

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BCRI Specialist dementia care.jpg


Enhancing quality of life for people living with dementia and their carers through co-designed care bundles, carer support programs and conversation tools.

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BCRI social.jpg


Reducing social isolation, loneliness and depressive symptoms by co-designing, implementing and evaluating Connect Local, a social prescribing program.

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BCRI Winders.jpg


Informing the provision of tailored services through delivering a health and wellbeing survey in retirement living communities.

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BCRI support you can trust.jpg


Supporting early identification and intervention for frailty through implementing a validated, holistic frailty screening tool.

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BCRI support.jpg


Identifying and responding to falls by developing and implementing a falls risk prediction model in residential aged care homes.

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BCRI partners in support.jpg


Improving access to care by implementing virtual allied health models of care in regional and remote areas.

Research resources

Click to view our publications or conference presentations or explore recent events and reports below.

More about research at Bolton Clarke

Conducting research with Bolton Clarke

The BCRI welcomes collaboration with external researchers to undertake research at Bolton Clarke.

All research undertaken at Bolton Clarke must:

  1. Include involvement and collaboration with the BCRI from the early stages of project development, and:

  2. Be relevant to our communities, staff, organisation and the broader aged care industry;

  3. Fill a gap in existing research/knowledge, with the aim of leading to positive change in care delivery;

  4. Have the approval of the Bolton Clarke HREC and the relevant Bolton Clarke stream business leader (facilitated by BCRI).

All research project applications must undergo a 3 step review process, where appropriate, before commencement. The Research Review and Governance Committee (RRGC) Co-ordinator will facilitate this process and field any enquiries about Research Governance at BC, contact the RRGC Co-ordinator.

For information about whether the project is a Quality Improvement or a research project, please review the following document:

For comprehensive detail about this process and the RRGC please see:

To learn more about the RRGC Process, hear from Dr Rajna Ogrin

Please submit research proposals approximately 4 weeks prior to HREC meeting dates, preferably earlier to engage in a process of codesign with BCRI.

 

Step 1: Initial review

An initial review of your proposal will be conducted by the RRGC, the relevant Business Stream lead and Head of Research, to assess the proposal for relevance and capacity within the business. Allow 2 weeks to complete this step.

To facilitate this step please send the follow documents to the RRGC Co-ordinator:

Step 2: Peer Review

After RRGC, Business Stream and Head of Research approvals have been obtained at Step 1, your research proposal will undergo peer review by members of the BCRI and relevant experts within the organization. The peer review will be facilitated by the RRGC Co-ordinator and requires 2 weeks.

The following documents will be required for the peer review:

The review process will identify whether the project is suitable to progress to:

  1. HREC review with no or minimal changes required - applicants will be advised what changes, if any, would be appropriate; or
  2. requires amendments as advised by BCRI reviewers and re-review by the RRGC Co-ordinator - the review process will continue until the application meets the requirements for HREC submission; or
  3. not suitable to progress to HREC review - the application cannot proceed to HREC submission.

Step 3: HREC

The RRGC Co-ordinator will facilitate your submission to the HREC and ensure all the required documentation is provided. All documents listed in the HREC Checklist will need to be completed.

Find out more information about the Bolton Clarke HREC

Information for Consumers

Bolton Clarke wants to work with the people we support to make sure that we keep improving the care and services we provide for you and others in the community. Research is an essential part of making these improvements. 

For more information about how research at Bolton Clarke works see:

For Community Members - Taking Part in Research

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22 March 2024

Implementation of evidence into aged care Symposium 2024

It takes an average of 17 years for research evidence to reach practice - and even then, only one in five interventions makes it to routine clinical care. So how can we help bridge the gap between what we know and what we do?

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07 December 2023

Bolton Clarke Research Institute Report 2023

The Bolton Clarke Research Institute’s 2021-23 report includes highlights of work to codesign, test and implement new models of care to support health and wellbeing across Australia and internationally.

Life stories webinar series
25 October 2022

SHARE Life Stories Webinar Series

Hosted by the Bolton Clarke Research Institute, this free webinar will draw from the experiences of researchers, older people, aged care employees and university student, as they share first-hand the magic of storytelling in transforming lives.

Be Healthy and Active event
25 March 2022

Social Connection in Older Age Symposium 2022

On 4 March 2022, the Bolton Clarke Research Institute brought together a stellar program of top national and international policy makers, academics and service providers in an online symposium to share their expertise about the importance of working collaboratively to create socially connected communities. Watch recordings from the event.

BCRI 2021 report
19 November 2021

Bolton Clarke Research Institute Report 2021

Bolton Clarke Research Institute has marked its 20th year informing national and international policy and practice around health and ageing with the release of its 2021 Report.

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28 February 2020

Co‐creation of services to maintain independence and optimise well‐being: Learnings from Australia’s Older Women Living Alone (OWLA) project

For many populations at risk of social isolation, including Older Women Living Alone (OWLA), existing services to maintain independence and optimise well‐being are difficult to access, unsuitable or unavailable. We adapted an existing framework for co‐creation and used participatory action research methods, supported by an evidence base comprising a systematic review, analysis of routinely collected data and interviews, to develop person‐centred services for OWLA.

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28 February 2020

Elder Abuse in the Out-of-Hospital and Emergency Department Settings: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the epidemiology, patient- and caregiver-associated factors, clinical characteristics, screening tools, prevention, interventions, and perspectives of health care professionals in regard to elder abuse in the out-of-hospital or emergency department (ED) setting.

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28 February 2020

Uniting generations: A research protocol examining the impacts of an intergenerational learning program on participants and organisations

Intergenerational programs are known to enhance engagement between generations, improve health and well‐being and create a stronger sense of community. This paper describes the research protocol used to develop, implement and evaluate an intergenerational learning program for preschool‐aged children and older people attending care services.

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28 February 2020

Interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of older people living alone: a mixed-methods systematic review of effectiveness and accessibility

The global population is ageing and the likelihood of living alone increases with age. Services are necessary to help older people living alone to optimise health and wellbeing. This systematic review aimed to summarise the effectiveness and accessibility of interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of older people living alone.

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28 February 2020

The inter-relationship of diversity principles for the enhanced participation of older people in their care: a qualitative study

The health and aged care workforce must understand and support the diverse needs of older people to enhance their care experience. This study aims to explore how these principles are considered from the perspectives of older Australians.

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04 December 2019

Bolton Clarke Research Institute Report 2019

The role of the Research Institute is to enhance community wellbeing by creating and translating evidence into improved health and social care practices, policies and outcomes. Our Research Institute Report 2019 provides an overview of latest projects and how the Institute is fulfilling this role.

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07 August 2019

Co-designing a peer support program for older women living alone

Hear Bolton Clarke Research Insititute's Dr Rajna Ogrin speak at the Melbourne Symposium on Social Connection about the POWER project, funded by the Felton Bequest managed by Equity Trustees.

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11 July 2019

Older people with Type 2 Diabetes - Individualising management with a specialised community team

This paper describes the design and methodology of a mixed methods feasibility and safety study to identify the current management of type 2 diabetes in people aged 65 years or older.

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17 June 2019

Medical perspectives regarding goals-of-care consultations in Emergency Departments

Goals-of-care discussions aim to establish patient values for shared medical decision-making. These discussions are relevant towards end-of-life as patients may receive non-beneficial treatments if they have never discussed preferences for care.

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07 May 2019

World First in dementia design

Using principles of dementia design, Bolton Clarke partnered with Lumes to develop content to reach residents living with dementia, who have started to lose certain cognitive or communication abilities. It’s the first installation of a digital wall in an aged care home, worldwide.

Conducting Research with Bolton Clarke

Thank you for your interest in working with us! To get started, please answer a few quick questions so that we can put you in touch with the most appropriate team within the research institute to discuss your project further.

Project information

Please identify the Bolton Clarke research priority your research best aligns with.*
Please select which business stream(s) relate to your project.*
Is your application time sensitive (e.g., upcoming grant deadline)?*
Have you already discussed your project idea with the Bolton Clarke Research Institute?*
Are you willing to work with Bolton Clarke to co-design your research project?*
Have you previously worked with the Bolton Clarke Research Institute or a Bolton Clarke staff member?*

Contact Information