Country universities champion local charity research

By Anna Houlahan, ACM

Regional grassroots organisations often rely on a handful of passionate people, but what happens when they can't continue?

Seven regional universities are banding together to help country mental health organisations transform their aid work into research, making their grant proposals more attractive to funders.

"Our sum is greater than the individual parts and we can do more, together, differently," University of New England School of Health professor Myfanwy Maple told ACM.

Creating research projects from the information gathered by community-led organisations can help build a body a research about regional and rural life.

This can guide future research and evidence-based policy changes, led by an understanding of the unique mental health challenges facing regional and rural communities.

Manna Institute, the university collective, offers academic support and resources to help develop mental health-related programs that can contribute to a nationwide knowledge bank.

Formalising research through academic channels could help smaller projects have a long-term effect, Professor Maple said.

Research can be presented to funders and provide evidence for more grants - leading to greater financial stability for grassroots organisations to keep doing what they do best, she said.

"That's where us, as a group of researchers, can help the community," Professor Maple said.

The universities forming Manna Institute include Charles Sturt, Central Queensland, Federation, Southern Cross, the University of Southern Queensland, the University of Sunshine Coast and lead institution University of New England.

Kilkivan District Community Care Group was formed to look after an aging population in the 713 person, Queensland town.

"They took it upon themselves to set up this group," Manna Institute postdoctoral researcher and University of the Sunshine Coast senior lecturer in applied science Dr Daniel Wadsworth told ACM.

"They tried to find funding and to look after their community, because no one else is doing it," he said.

Kilkivan carer Rosie Fitzgerald and her team of passionate locals volunteer to support members of the community, particularly those living with dementia.

"We're quite alarmed that we are getting to be a very old community, in terms of median age, " Ms Fitzgerald told ACM.

"That had to stop, or we wouldn't all have a future here when we got frail," she said.

Ms Fitzgerald said she worries about the community group and what would happen if she, or one of the other key members, were unable to continue.

"Volunteers who are on the job all day, every day, year after year - we burn out," Ms Fitzgerald said.

"There's not necessarily another volunteer waiting to take our place and that makes the whole situation precarious," she said.

Manna Institute academics, Dr Mia Schaumberg and Dr Wadsworth, are working with Kilkivan district community care group to formalise research into dementia and preventative strategies.

"It shouldn't be on the local residents to do those things," Dr Wadsworth said.

"They're the people on the ground, but there needs to be support in place to help them," Dr Wadsworth said.

Manna Institute research fellow Dr Schaumberg said she appreciated how important it was to understand the challenges facing the community to offer the right type of support.

"We're becoming partners in their mental health journey," Dr Schaumberg told ACM.

The academics behind the Manna institute live near the communities they work in, Dr Wadsworth said.

"It's not flying into an area, doing the research and going again," he said.

Manna Institute's work with the Kilkivan group will also look at the toll support work takes on the community.

"We're looking at the burden that's placed on those carers as well as the people needing the support," he said.

"We're all here because we care about the mental health of regional Australians," Manna Institute postdoctoral researcher and Charles Sturt University senior lecturer Dr Belinda Cash told ACM.

"We have passion and drive to find solutions," she said.