Effective Leadership and Management in Aged Care: A Research Proposal

This research proposal investigates effective leadership and management strategies for delivering proper care to residents in Australian residential aged care facilities. It begins by establishing the background, highlighting the importance of leadership interventions and the need for improved management practices to enhance the quality of care and the work environment. The study aims to understand current leadership approaches, develop new strategies, and improve the quality of life for elderly residents. The methodology includes a systematic literature review and primary data collection through interviews with care staff, managers, residents, and relatives. Data will be analyzed using content analysis to identify areas for improvement in leadership and management. The expected outcomes include a framework for better leadership, improved staff motivation and satisfaction, and enhanced overall well-being of the residents. The significance of the study lies in its potential to address gaps in the existing literature and contribute to the ongoing debate on quality of care in aged care facilities.

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Research proposal on effective leadership and management for delivering proper care to
the residential aged care facility users
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Contents
Project Title.....................................................................................................................................3
Background......................................................................................................................................3
Aims of the study.............................................................................................................................3
Significance and innovation of the proposed study.........................................................................4
Expected outcomes/implications for practice..................................................................................5
Research plan: Methodology...........................................................................................................5
Data sampling..............................................................................................................................5
Data collection.............................................................................................................................6
Data analysis....................................................................................................................................6
Ethical considerations......................................................................................................................7
Study limitations..............................................................................................................................8
Administration of the research.........................................................................................................8
Questionnaire...................................................................................................................................9
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Project Title
Research proposal on effective leadership and management for delivering proper care to the
residential aged care facility users
Background
There has been a plethora of existence of observational evidence that concerns the implications
of effective leadership and management, quality of care and work environment in the residential
care facilities that is designed for the elderly population. However, no randomized trials of
control have been conducted for assessing the effectiveness of the leadership interventions used
in the care facilities. These care facilities need to integrate effective and efficient strategies of
management and leadership interventions so that the best treatment can be provided to the users.
This proposal has been designed with the intention to leadership model that is used in such care
facilities so that the ultimate purpose of their existence can be accomplished. The objective is to
bring innovation to the leadership and management structure in the Australian care facilities for
aged people. The research flows from the studies made on the life of the old people in various
homes existing in Australia. The measures that can be played by an efficient leadership for
delivering high-quality service directed towards the aged people have been an integral part of the
research proposal. Various previous studies have been incorporated into the proposal so that the
readers can get an insight on the present care scenario of elderly people in Australia.
The literature review that has been included in the proposal basically focus on the experience of
the registered nurses as managers and leaders in the residential care facilities for the aged
population so that their skills can be polished further. The research paper “Experiences of
registered nurses as managers and leaders in residential aged care facilities: a systematic review.”
highlights the fact that the staff, and nurses of the care system exhibit strong motivation to work
in the demanding environment but they lack professional support and collaboration from the
allied medical managers and leaders. At the present time, there is limited scope to learn and
develop as nurses in the aged care facility. This area needs to be effectively addresses so that the
ultimate service quality can get enhanced.

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Aims of the study
The fundamental aim of the research proposal is to understand the current leadership approach
adopted in residential care facilities for the old population so that new approaches can be
developed to enhance the service quality. The senior members including the nurses, managers
and other staffs of the residential care home need to take the initiative to bring about appositive
change in the current system (Bevilacqua, Mazzuto & Paciarotti, 2014). The council also
recommends that the practices of age-friendly and independence enhancements are the part of
life so these should be included as the future initiatives to improve the quality of life during their
long stay in the care facilities. Quality of life is a term that has become increasingly popular in
the current times. The usage of this term has become extensive since it covers almost all the
phases of an individual’s daily living. So here in this research proposal, this term “quality of life”
is particularly related to the aged residents who stay in the old age. They need to be treated with
respect in the long-term care facilities and this fact must be understood by the service providers.
They are considered to be the most susceptible groups in the society, due to their increase in age
and the utmost level of dependency (Cazzaniga & Fischer, 2015). A sincere leadership is a key
that can enhance the life quality of the aged residents when they are at a vulnerable stage of their
life. An inspiring leader can bring about a much-needed improvement in the care model by using
his effective leadership management skills. A lot of debate is going around the globe regarding
the quality of service that is provided to the elderly facility users in the residential old age homes.
This research proposal has included the key elements that can add value to the prevailing system.
The attempt of the proposal is to contribute to the ongoing debate in a significant manner so that
the various factors that determine the quality of life of the old aged residents can be upgraded
(Chen, et al., 2014). The model that will be suggested will be designed by analyzing the data that
has been collected using secondary data from previous research studies and primary data. An
interview process would be conducted with the care staff, managers, residents, and relatives so
that the prevailing quality of care can be assessed. The different perspectives would help to
identify the areas that need to be modified in order to enhance the quality of life of the old people
living in the care homes (Dwyer, 2011).

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Significance and innovation of the proposed study
Most of the publications have outlined that there is a role of the effective management in
addressing the issues related to better care and improved quality of service for the aged people. A
smaller number of researchers have highlighted the significance of the leadership in this delicate
sector of aged care. However, in the recent times many new research studies have appeared that
give high importance to the need of an inspiring and effective leader. In 2008, a report was
released by the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance on the same topic concerning the
residential care and it stated that the proactive role of the service providers is crucial to
improving the living standard of the aged care residents and there is need to promote leadership
traits in the facility operators (Dunn, 2016). This has strengthened the need to introduce best
management and leadership skills in the aged care scenario. The Aged Care Standards and
Accreditation Agency that came into existence in 2014 also focuses on these aspects so that the
users can experience high-quality care service (Dwyer, 2011). The significance of this proposal
is that it suggests the requirement of the visionary leadership for improving the living conditions
and quality of the residents of the care home facilities (Rosato, et al., 2014).
Expected outcomes/implications for practice
The research proposal on the subject is a unique initiative that can bring about the needed change
in the quality of service that is provided to the aged residents living in the old age homes in
Australia. Both secondary data and primary data would help in the identification of the
prevailing gaps in the system so that the leadership and management model could be improvised
(Dwyer, 2011).
 With the manager’s leadership, the staff can feel motivated while offering service to the
residents. This positive change would enhance the job satisfaction and retention of the
workforce. The delivery of high quality care would ensure the overall well-being of the
care users (Fitzpatrick, et al., 2014).
 The qualities that are essential for the good leadership in the aged care management
include friendly approach towards the people, and expertise in professional skills, team
building, and recognition model. Along with this flexibility and effective communication
would enhance the care system. However, the outcomes of the management and the

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successful leadership are dependent on the rational and good leadership in the
organization (Fortenberry Jr & McGoldrick, 2016).
Research plan: Methodology
The systematic literature review and the narrative synthesis would play an active role in the
research proposal. Previous research studies would help to understand the leadership and
management scenario that is prevalent in the care system for the aged population in Australia. It
would help in the identification of current gaps (Dwyer, 2011). Then the primary research study
with in form of interview would be carried out in the selected residential aged care facility. It
would help the objective of the research i.e. to develop intervention strategies to strengthen the
leadership scenario in the facilities in the island nation. Here qualitative research is used to
collect the data (Fortenberry & McGoldrick, 2016).
The topic that has been considered for the research proposal is quite sensitive and it relates to the
quality of service that is provided to the old population that lives in residential care facilities in
Australia. Both sources of data have come into play in the process since the older research
studies would help to identify the flaws and loopholes that exist in the system and the primary
model would throw light on the key areas that can be improved in order to enhance the quality of
leadership and management (Green, 2016). The methodology has been designed so that the best
recommendations can be designed in relation to the context of the issue. Hence, the research
studies that already exist on the topic play a major role in this research proposal (Seid &
Aydagnehum, 2013).
Data sampling
The random sampling technique would be used to collect primary data from the different
sections of the care facility system. Since the interview process would be conducted on the
managers, staff, patients, relatives, the sampling technique on each sub-group would help to
collect sufficient amount of data that must be analyzed. All the processes of the research process
would be explained to the involved parties so that there would be no chance of biases in the
research process. (Hassona, et al., 2017). A total of 30 interview responses would be selected on
a random basis from all the respondents covering all the participant groups. The interview
process would be kept short and simple so that the activity could be wrapped up quickly

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(Fortenberry & McGoldrick, 2016). This research design would be adopted since there would be
a one-on-one interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee so there would be limited
chances of confusion. (Singh & Lillrank, 2015).
Data collection
The interview process has been selected for the data collection process. The interviewer would
have a direct conversation with the participants relating to various aspects of the care facility and
its operations. The answers would be written by the interviewer while the interviewee would be
providing his input. Once the process would be finished, the respondent could review the sheet
and sign on it (Hassona et al., 2017). The signature would be necessary to show the
authentication of the interview responses. Even though this approach could lengthen the process
but it would ensure fairness and originality of the approach (McGregor et al., 2017).
This qualitative research technique would act as a framework for the research process since it
would highlight the views of different facility members on the leadership and management
model of the old age home. The data from the literature review would play a vital role in this
process so that the current gaps could be addressed in the best possible manner (Huppertz, et al.,
2014). The advantage of conducting the interview is that it would allow the participation of all
the members of the facility. They could offer their views and give responses to the directed
questions without being influenced by an external element (Zeng & Yang, 2013).
Data analysis
The content data analysis would be adopted on the collected qualitative data. A number of
predetermined categories would have been set prior to the data collection process so that once
the same has been collected; the leadership and management behaviour of the care staff members
including the managers and leaders could be effectively assessed. It would positively contribute
to the effectiveness of the research study (Kim, et al., 2014). This analytical technique would
help to make relevant comparisons in order to examine the perspective of different groups of the
care facility in Australia. The data that would be saved in form of interview sheets would be kept
at a confidential location so that no one other than the concerned research team would have
access to it (Leggat & Holmes, 2015).

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Ethical considerations
The National Health and Medical Research Council as well as the Australian Code for the
Responsible Conduct of Research (2007) would be considered so that all the ethical aspects
could be effectively met while carrying out the research process. In case any requirement of
ethical approval would be required in the process, the same would be considered so that no party
would be negatively affected in the process (Romero et al., 2014).
Sufficient confidentiality would be maintained throughout the process and respect would be
given to all the privacy aspects of all the participants. All the issues relating to confidentiality,
approval of ethics, and the withdrawal of participants would be taken care of (McGregor, et al.,
2017). The same set of interview questions would be presented to all the participants so that the
uniformity can be maintained. The privacy of the participants would be ensured at all times of
the process. Once the research activity would be finished the interview responses would be
destroyed after a certain point of time (McGuckin & Govednik, 2015).
Study limitations
This research proposal that has been highlighted focuses only on one of the residential facilities
of Australia. The primary data analysis would be carried out based on the collected data from the
specific care facility so it might vary for other care facilities. The availability of limited funds for
the study would act the major limitation (Roberts, et al., 2016). The small fund allocated for the
activity would limit the overall scope of the study. It is assumed that all the respondents were
sincere while giving the interview questions. The small number of participants could also act as a
key limitation in the research process (Romero, et al., 2014). As such, the outcome of the
research activity would be entirely based on the primary data responses and the former research
studies on the subject.
Administration of the research
Budget plan and Timeframe Expenses in Dollars
Personnel:
Coordinator of the project (social work
student)
Research assistant: 37.5 hours in a week
In-Kind
13050 $

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Number of weeks 14-25
29 dollars paid per hour
Costs of transcription: 12 x 1 hour of
interviews
15 dollars per hour
For transcribing one hour of interview it takes
7 hours
1260 $
Premises:
Office location In- Kind
Tape recorder, tapes, microphone, stationery,
etc 400 $
Travel:
For interviewing the participants 1500 $
Contingency 1000 $
Total costs 17618 $
Conclusion
The proposal has been designed with the objective to enhance the management and leadership
scenario that is currently exhibited in residential care facilities that are designed for older
population in Australia. Both primary data and secondary data would form an integral part of the
research process since they would allow capturing the holistic picture relating to the quality of
service offered by care homes.
Questionnaire
1. What are the issues related to leadership and management with respect to health care
other than old age for instance, such as community, acute, primary health care and sub-
acute?
2. What the issues related to management and leadership with respect to old aged, nursing
homes, long term care, or residential aged care?

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3. What do you think is the policy and the system solutions are required for building the
capacity of the workforce leadership that is sustainable and for effective management in
the residential aged care?
4. What are the crucial features and the impacting factors that are necessary for sustaining
the effective workforce management and leadership?
5. What do you think are the best models for developing the workforce leadership within the
management that is sustainable in the residential aged care?
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