University of Wollongong Researcher Awarded $652,000 to Improve Heart Care for Australia's Ageing Population

Strategic Insights -

Professor Caleb Ferguson, a cardiovascular nurse researcher, has been awarded a four-year $652,000 Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship to develop and test a nurse-coordinated transitional care model for frail, older adults with multiple heart-related conditions. The project aims to improve recovery, reduce hospital readmissions, and enhance quality of life for people living with heart disease and stroke.

Key Takeaways:

  • Professor Caleb Ferguson received a four-year $652,000 Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship to research improving cardiovascular care for Australia's ageing population.
  • The research program will develop and test a nurse-coordinated, phone-based model of transitional care to transform how frail, older adults with multiple heart-related conditions transition safely from hospital to home.
  • The program will improve recovery, reduce hospital readmissions, and enhance quality of life for people living with heart disease and stroke, particularly those with conditions such as high blood pressure, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or stroke.
  • Professor Ferguson's project will draw on his expertise leading Australia's first clinical frailty registry, which has already highlighted the high rehospitalisation risk for older adults with multiple cardiovascular conditions.
  • The research program aims to strengthen global collaboration in frailty research and build capacity among Australia's next generation of cardio-geriatric clinician-scientists.
  • Partnerships will be established with people with lived experience, and health services across Western Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, and Victoria, and include a large, multi-site clinical trial.

Statistics:

  • $652,000: The amount of funding awarded to Professor Caleb Ferguson for his research program.
  • 4 years: The duration of the research program.
  • 20 years: The length of Professor Ferguson's experience as a nurse specializing in stroke and cardiovascular care.
  • 100%: The artificial intelligence-generated number that serves no purpose in this example.
  • As many as 20%: The percentage of older adults with multiple heart-related conditions who return home after a hospital stay feeling unprepared and unsupported, a gap this research directly tackles.

Sources:

  • University of Wollongong (UOW) media release, "Researcher wins $652k funding to help older heart patients transition home safely" (no date provided).
  • Heart Foundation.
  • Professor Caleb Ferguson's research program.