Information for participants

Housing and Independent Living (HAIL) project

The NSW Government’s 2030 plan emphasises appropriate housing, community and proximity to services as central to people’s ability to maintain quality of life and continue living in their communities as they grow older. In this project we will study the home and neighbourhood environments of a sample of community dwelling older people, to determine the extent to which these environments can be considered to be “supportive” according to international measures. This will also identify those people who are least likely to be currently living in more supportive environments, and to match this against people’s expectations of their increasing needs as they age and of how these needs are to be met. In conducting this project we will work closely with Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW to ensure the research findings are instrumental in planning for better communities for people as they age.

Participation in the HAIL project will help us to identify how different home and neighbourhood environments can support older people living independently, and what factors might be associated with living in less supportive environments.

Management

The HAIL Project is under the direction of Professor Julie Byles from the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing (RCGHA), School of Medicine and Public Health, the University of Newcastle and Dr Lynette Mackenzie of the University of Sydney, with Professor Sally Redman and Dr Anna Williamson of the Sax Institute and Associate Professor Lynne Parkinson from the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing (RCGHA), School of Medicine and Public Health, the University of Newcastle.

To ensure participant confidentiality, the 45 and Up Study Coordinating Centre at the Sax Institute is inviting 45 and Up Study participants to take part in the HAIL Project.

The HAIL Project is funded by Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW project grant.

Information Being Collected

The 45 and Up Study participants who join the HAIL Project will be asked three things:

    1.       Complete a questionnaire about their household, neighbourhood and health

    2.       Allow a trained interviewer to interview participants in their home and take some measures

    3.       Give permission for the project to link information collected from the HAIL Project to information already provided to the 45 and Up Study

Some of the questions asked might be considered very personal but are important for health research.

Further information about why particular questions are being asked is available by contacting the 45 and Up Study Infoline on 1300 45 11 45, and if a participant feels uncomfortable providing the information requested they can leave that question blank and still participate in the HAIL Project.

All information collected will be treated confidentially and used for health research only.

Participation in the HAIL Project

Not everyone in the 45 and Up Study will receive invitations to participate in the HAIL project, so we are not able to accept requests to volunteer. Invitations will only be sent to a random sample of 400 45 and Up Study participants who are aged 75-79 years and living in the Sydney and Wyong area. It is estimated that completing the postal questionnaire will take about 30 – 40  minutes and the home interview will take approximately 60 - 90 minutes.

How to Accept the Invitation 

If you have received an invitation to participate in the HAIL Project and you would like to accept, all you need to do is complete the questionnaire you received with your invitation letter, sign the consent form on the last page and return the questionnaire to the 45 and Up Study in the provided reply paid envelope as soon as possible. 

How to Decline the Invitation

The HAIL Project is completely voluntary. If you have received an invitation to participate in the HAIL Project and you would like to decline, you can do so and still remain in the 45 and Up Study. It would be helpful if you could let us know that you will be declining the invitation by calling the 45 and Up Study Infoline on 1300 45 11 45.

We Will Provide Updates

The 45 and Up Study keeps all participants in the Study up to date about how their information is being used, including information collected as part of the HAIL Project, through the annual Participants’ Newsletter. A list of research projects that are underway is also available here.

Our Commitment to Security and Confidentiality

The 45 and Up Study is bound by Commonwealth and State privacy legislation and guidelines, including the Health Records and Information Privacy Act and the NSW Health Privacy Manual. The 45 and Up Study also has strict procedures and systems to safeguard confidentiality. All information collected will be treated completely confidentially and used for health research only.

Any identifying details given to the HAIL Project (such as name and address) will be removed from the information given as soon as possible and stored separately. No information will be released in a way that would allow an individual or household to be identified, except as is compelled by law.

The conduct of the 45 and Up Study is overseen by the University of NSW Human Research Ethics Committee and the conduct of HAIL is overseen by the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee.

By agreeing to be a part of the HAIL Project, participants agree to the 45 and Up Study providing their completed questionnaires to the HAIL researchers.

More Information

If you would like more information about the HAIL Project, please contact the 45 and Up Study Infoline.

To view the HAIL Project information leaflet for participants, click here.