A recent Silverchain pilot of an innovative approach to managing depression and anxiety in older Australians has delivered promising results, demonstrating the importance of investing in mental health care to improve overall health.
Silverchain, alongside leading academic and industry partners, piloted the first-of-its-kind model of care, known as EMBED (Enhanced Management of home-Based Elders with Depression) in Victoria in 2024. EMBED aims to improve the detection and treatment of depression among older people receiving aged care at home.
The results of the EMBED pilot follow a Silverchain-led study published in the Australian Journal on Ageing last month. The study found that over 60 per cent of older Australians receiving in home aged care have symptoms of depression or anxiety. This aligns with Australian Census data reporting that the likelihood of being diagnosed with a mental health condition increases markedly for Australians aged in their 80s and 90s.
The EMBED pilot also assessed the delivery of evidence-based psychological treatments through a digital platform designed specifically for older Australians receiving in home care. Participants identified as needing support through the EMBED model received video consultations with psychologists, therapeutic resources, and interactive tools to support their mental health journey.
The pilot results were launched at a special event in Melbourne attended by Australian and international guests, as part of the ARC APAC Summit. Key findings from the pilot include:
• Improved mental health outcomes: There was a significant reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety among participants following treatment, with 86% of reporting that the treatment had improved their mood, motivation, and overall wellbeing.
• High client satisfaction: 95% of participants rated the program as “good” or “excellent” and an overwhelming majority expressed a desire for the program to be expanded to reach more older people in need.
• Workforce training success: 90% of Silverchain’s care team who completed the EMBED training found it relevant and applicable to their work, leading to increased confidence in identifying and supporting clients with depression.
Silverchain’s Director of Research Discovery and lead investigator, Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison, said the pilot results confirm that EMBED is a viable model of care for addressing depression in older Australians receiving aged care services at home, that appears to be both effective and scalable.
“Depression and anxiety are a significant issue for older Australians that are largely unaddressed,” Adj Prof Davison said.
“The overwhelmingly positive response from both our care teams and our clients demonstrates the urgent need for mental health integration within home care services.
Building on the success of the Victorian pilot, EMBED is now being trialled on a larger scale in Western Australia and South Australia, involving 880 of Silverchain’s aged care clients. This next phase will further assess the program’s long-term impact and cost-effectiveness, with results expected in late 2026.
Over the past year, Silverchain has trained more than 1,000 of its aged care workers in identifying the need for better mental health support for their clients, introduced routine mental health screening, and provided evidence-based treatments to clients, with results showing high levels of engagement and positive clinical outcomes.
“This model of care is a game-changer for older people’s health and wellbeing. By integrating mental health care into routine home care services, we are addressing a critical gap in the system and ensuring that older Australians receive the support they need to age well at home,” Adj Prof Davison said.
Silverchain Chief Executive Adjunct Professor Dale Fisher AM said Silverchain is proactively developing innovative models of care that address service gaps across the health and aged care sectors.
“With one million Australians receiving aged care at home and the accelerating demand from the community to age at home, we must ensure as a sector we are attuned to every health need, not just physical health care,” Adj Prof Fisher said.
“To address this gap in mental health care, we have developed an innovative model of care to improve the detection and treatment of depression in older Australians receiving aged care in the home.”
“Technology is playing an increasingly vital role in health and aged care in Australia and EMBED allows older Australians to receive high-quality mental health care.
“Our research into these issues informed our advocacy to the Federal Government to include mental health care as part of the new Support at Home program, and we welcomed this important inclusion which enables older people to age at home as they wish.”
Partly funded by research grants from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), as well as Silverchain Foundation, Silverchain’s EMBED program has been developed in collaboration with academic and industry partners, including Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, and Flinders University.
Within this collaborative framework, PhD candidate and Senior Clinical Psychologist Julie Kelly plays a vital role. Her doctoral research, supported by a Silverchain PhD scholarship in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, directly intersects with the EMBED program. Ms. Kelly's work focuses on developing and evaluating interventions to improve the mental health of older Australians receiving aged care services at home, making her contributions to EMBED both academically rigorous and practically impactful.
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