Protocol for innovative personalised model of care for dementia in rural Australia

Objective: Current literature indicate the benefits of non-pharmacological interventions on individual behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and mood outcomes. However, these approaches to management of BPSD have not been widely implemented in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs), especially in rural settings. This study aims to identify key drivers of personalised care interventions, and co-design and implement a new personalised model of care incorporating principles of the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) model and personalised music activities in five Australian rural RACFs. Methods and analysis: A quasi-experimental study that compares pre- and post-intervention measures with one- and three-months follow up is being implemented. This study is being conducted in five rural RACFs in South Australia and Queensland. The number of residents with advanced dementia sought for the study will be 15-20 at each site depending on size of facility (total n=60-80; statistical power 0.9). The exception will be the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mutkin Residential Aged Care which has only 15 residents in total; but it provides an opportunity to trial the study in a different cultural context. Methodological triangulation using both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to understand the effectiveness of the new model. Ethics and dissemination: This study is approved by the Southern Adelaide Clinical Human Research Ethics Committee (OFR #: 277.17). Dissemination of the study activities, protocol, and findings will be made public in appropriate platforms, such as academic journals/conferences, and media outlets including the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry website.