Caregiving and dementia/Projects/Knowledge transfer events

This page describes a Dementia Training Study Centre project.

Knowledge transfer events

Overview

Knowledge Transfer (KT) has been described as a ‘contact sport’[1] and the establishment of a community of interest has been identified as one of the key features of an effective KT strategy. KT should also be a two-way process with opportunities for the researchers to hear the views of potential users of their research so that they can ensure it meets their needs.

This project involved a major KT event in each of the five Dementia Training Study Centre (DTSC) jurisdictions. These KT events brought researchers and practitioners together in a series of workshops that facilitated the transfer of practical knowledge and the interchange of ideas on new directions for research.

The overall aim of this project was to support the development of a community of interest focused on the application of evidence-based practice in the care of people with dementia. This was achieved by:

1. Providing a nationwide infrastructure for the dissemination of research findings through a series of major events
2. Supporting the DTSCs with their KT responsibilities
3. Bringing the researchers into contact with a wide range of practitioners with the purpose of informing them on perceived gaps in research.

KT requires a mix of methods for raising awareness of new information, engaging practitioners in considering it and providing them with an impetus to adopt it into their everyday activities. This project complemented the establishment of the Australian Journal of Dementia Care by providing an opportunity for practitioners to hear the views of the researchers directly from them and to provide feedback and new ideas to the researchers in return.

While there are important national conferences (DCRC Forum, Alzheimer’s Association and HammondCare) and significant KT activities conducted by the DTSCs in the form of Clinical Workshops and Guest Lectures, there is no other systematic attempt at bringing DCRC, and other Dementia Initiative, researchers into contact with practitioners across Australia with the goal of translating their research into practice. This project drew on the example of the Aged Care Accreditation Agency which uses the annual series of Better Practice Conferences in each State to promote improved care.

More information

1. TBA