Evaluation of an action research project in workforce development and organisational change: Healthy Ageing—Nutrition

Abstract

This article reports on the evaluation of an action research project designed to support workforce development in the promotion of healthy nutrition for older people. The evaluation methodology was grounded by the action research approach of the project and focused on case studies of the 10 partner organisations. Findings indicate that the Healthy Ageing—Nutrition Project has resulted in a large increase in awareness and knowledge about healthy ageing and nutrition in the case study organisations, and to a lesser extent, in the broader health and aged care sectors. For the case study organisations it seems likely that transformational change has been made through the project's work of building capacity, mediating and facilitating change and providing resources. Support at board and management level, as well as thoughtful development of the workforce, were critical success factors in bringing about organisational change. The main challenge was identified as time and resources needed. Follow-up evaluation of the health outcomes from nutritional assessment, screening and intervention should also be implemented in order to provide further evidence of the value of this effort.