Post by Dr. Noor Gajraj

TEN YEARS OF TEAMWORK TRANSFORMING CARE FOR OLDER ADULTS For 10 years, the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC) has tested a new way to improve care for older adults. Instead of working alone, they bring older adults, carers, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and advocates together to design projects from the start. Key wins from MARC’s first decade: • Started in 2014 to close the gap between research and real-world care • Uses true co-design: “bottom-up” ideas from consumers and frontline staff + “top-down” support from leaders and policy • Hosts cross-sector events, targeted research projects, and capacity-building programs like grants, forums, and masterclasses • Helped shape practice and policy on: • Language translation tech in care settings • Fair access to end-of-life care services • Guidelines for using technology in home-based aged care • Evaluations show stronger partnerships between organisations and better sharing of knowledge Why this matters: • Research sticks when the people affected help design it • Shared goals, clear governance, and real-world problem solving make change more likely to last • MARC offers a scalable “collective impact” model for ageing care that other regions can adapt If we want better outcomes for older adults, we need more models like this: co-designed, cross-sector, and focused on turning evidence into everyday practice.