We recently spoke with Ayele, one of our valued care workers at Warrigal Coniston, whose research has earned him international recognition. After completing a PhD exploring frailty among older adults in Ethiopia, Ayele has been named among the top 2% of scientists worldwide.

Keep reading to learn more about his research, this significant achievement and how his studies help shape the care he provides.

Meet Ayele!

What led you to pursue a PhD and why focus on frailty among older people in Ethiopia?

I’ve always been passionate about research and improving the health and quality of life of older people. I pursued a PhD to build my research skills and develop practical, evidence-based ways to support older people, and I was fortunate to receive a fully funded scholarship from the University of Wollongong (UOW).

Ethiopia’s ageing population is growing, and frailty is an important public health concern that can affect older people’s independence, health and quality of life. When I began my research, there was little evidence regarding the effectiveness of nurse-led interventions to reduce frailty in Ethiopia and, to the best of our knowledge, elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

My research aimed to help fill that gap by developing and evaluating a nurse-led intervention to reduce frailty among older people. My motivation was to ensure my research went beyond academic publications and could contribute to meaningful improvements in the health and wellbeing of older people.

Can you tell us about your research and what you found?

I designed, delivered and evaluated a 24-week nurse-led program for people aged 60 and over living in the community. Different research methods and analytical approaches were employed to address the objectives of the research. Each month focused on one of six areas linked to frailty:

• Ageing and age-related changes

• Healthy eating

• Physical activity

• Mental health

• Social connection

• Support

Immediately after the program, participants showed a significant reduction in frailty and depression, along with improvements in nutrition, everyday independence and quality of life. 12 weeks post-intervention, improvements were maintained in nutritional status, activity of daily living and the overall frailty status of participants. However, improvements in depression and most of the quality-of-life domains were not sustained over the 12 weeks of follow-up.

You’ve been recognised by Elsevier and Stanford University among the top 2% of scientists worldwide and ranked third at Bahir Dar University. What does this recognition mean to you?

These rankings reflect how widely my research has been cited and used by others. It’s an honour, and this recognition will strengthen my academic profile and support my aspirations to contribute to education, evidence-based practice and research.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Warrigal Coniston?

Working as a care worker has given me a valuable opportunity to understand the Australian healthcare and aged care systems, particularly how older people are cared for and supported in their daily lives. With my educational background and research interest in older people, this gave me the opportunity to know and understand how aged care standards are implemented and guided by evidence-based practices.

What I enjoy most is supporting older people to maintain their dignity, independence and quality of life while building meaningful relationships with them.

How do your research and your work at Warrigal shape each other?

My research has helped me understand the importance of early identification of frailty, promoting physical activity, supporting good nutrition and maintaining independence and quality of life. I bring that knowledge to my work at Warrigal by understanding each resident’s individual needs, using a person-centred approach, following individualised care plans and respecting their dignity and preferences.

In turn, working at Warrigal has helped me understand practical circumstances faced by older people and aged care staff. It’s reinforced how important it is to translate research findings into care that is realistic, effective and appropriate for Australian aged care.

Overall, this experience has strengthened my understanding between practice and research to improve the care of older people.

What are you most proud of and what’s next?

I am particularly proud that my research has the potential to inform evidence-based nursing practices and contribute to better care for older people.

Looking ahead, I would like to continue developing my research in healthy ageing, frailty prevention, dementia care and evidence-based practice. Ultimately, my goal is to combine research and practice to make a meaningful impact on the care of older people.

I also hope to pursue research projects within aged care organisations, in collaboration with universities and research institutions, to secure research funding and translate findings into practical improvements. My goal is to combine research and experience to make a meaningful contribution to the quality of care and outcomes for older people.

We are so lucky to have amazing team members like Ayele with us at Warrigal, who make incredible contributions to the lives of older people and our community. You can view Ayele’s thesis by clicking the link here.