Company Background

Applied Aged Care Solutions (AACS) is an Australian company specialising in clinical and applied research in the fields of aged care, intellectual and psychiatric disability.  Evaluations examining the effectiveness of support and education programs is a major focus. 

AACS has also developed advanced skills in Information Technology concept design, IT project development, and the creation of detailed specifications for software products and development.  AACS has developed in partnership with IT companies four major web-based systems in the Health and Aged Care sectors. 

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care issues are areas of particular interest and expertise for AACS. AACS has developed excellent working relationships with community agencies, residential care organisations, and both the Commonwealth and State Governments.  AACS has a proven record in delivering high quality services designed to deliver maximum benefits to the health care sector and extensive knowledge of the health and aged care systems in Australia.

Commitment to the Australian Public

AACS is committed to improving the quality of life and care among people with dementia, intellectual disabilities, and other neurological disorders.  We also recognise that carers frequently experience a range of problems in supporting people with impairments in both community and residential care settings. Therefore, AACS also strives to meet the needs of the carers by careful analysis of the issues they face. 

Research Philosophy

AACS understands the need to customise research strategies in order to obtain information that will meet the aims and objectives of our clients. We are experienced in survey design, data collection and analysis as well as project management. All AACS staff have a sound knowledge of the theoretical aspects of research and bring with them a broad range of hands on experience with health care services. As such, AACS has the ability to bring unique insights into the development and implementation of your project objectives.  At a methodological level, AACS is experienced in using both objective and subjective measures during data collection, thus providing our clients with a comprehensive analysis of a particular research question.

AACS Staff

Dr Richard Rosewarne  - Managing Director

The Managing Director, Dr Richard Rosewarne, is a registered psychologist and a member of the Australian Psychological Society.  He is currently serving as a member of the Commonwealth Government Working Group on Dementia Specific Aged Care; the Commonwealth Government Resident Classification - Industry Liaison Group; and the Victorian Government Dementia Advisory Group.  Prior to starting Applied Aged Care Solutions, Dr Rosewarne was a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, Department of Psychological Medicine.  

He has extensive experience in the health, general aged care and aged psychiatry sectors. He brings not only proven technical competence to his work (developed from many years as a senior academic) but he has a wide breadth of knowledge and the experience necessary to undertake consultancy work in the health care sector.   He has advanced skills with research and survey project methodology and knowledge and experience with information systems and database management and analysis.

Professional Memberships

Current member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
Current Registered Psychologist, Psychological Council, Victoria.
Member, APS Special Interest Group on Ageing.

Research Advisory Roles

Current reviewer for National Health and Medical Research Grants (NHMRC) grants Current reviewer for Alzheimer's Australia Research Foundation Grants

Government Advisory Roles

Current: Commonwealth Government: 2003 - Member Resident Classification, Industry Liaison Group, Aged and Community Care Division, Canberra.

Commonwealth Government: 2002 - Member of the Working Group on Dementia Specific Aged Care, Aged and Community Care Division, Canberra. Chair Warwick Bruen.

Current: Victorian Government: 2003 - Dementia Advisory Committee. This committee iprovides strategic review and advice on the development of dementia care initiatives in Victoria.

Victorian Government: Member, Ministerial Task Force on Dementia Services in Victoria, Australia, 1997.

Janet Opie  - Senior Consultant

The senior consultant, Janet Opie, has worked in the Health Care Sector for over 25 years firstly as a registered nurse and subsequently as a registered psychologist and Research Fellow at the Aged Mental Health Research Group in the Department of Psychological Medicine, MonashUniversity.   Janet has exceptional organisational skills (previously a national clinical trials manager), is experienced in data management and has research and clinical expertise in dementia care. 

Dr. Malcolm Rosier - Senior Research Consultant

Dr. Malcolm Rosier has more than forty years' experience in social research in mathematics, science achievement and scale development and complex analysis. His main research interest is in building quantitative models to identify relationships
between key factors influencing a criterion of interest. Underlying the development and analysis of such models is his considerable expertise in other aspects of survey research, especially in data collection and management, sampling design and execution, and instrument development using item response theory (IRT) approaches. Dr Rosier has a PhD from Stockholm University
and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Education. He worked for more than 20 years at the Australian Council for Educational Research until moving to the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Andrea Rosewarne  - Director

Another director of AACS, Andrea Rosewarne, has a Masters Degree in Nursing and has had 25 years of experience working directly with people with intellectual disabilities and their carers. Andrea has worked in a number of settings with people with disabilities including residential facilities, regional teams and in policy and development. Andrea’s particular research interest areas include ageing and disability; organisational management and performance. 

Other Staff

All other team members are also tertiary trained, have experience in quantitative and qualitative research design methodologies and have excellent communication skills. Each member of our team is encouraged to update their expertise and to publish their knowledge in local and International Scientific Journals.  We pride ourselves in employing people who are committed to the pursuance of excellence in health care services.  

Selected Publications and Research Reports

Rosewarne RC, Long Term Care in 21st Century: Perspectives from around the Pacific Rim. Edited by Iris Chi, Kalyani Mehta and Anna Howe.  Published by Haworth Press, New York, as a Special Issue of the Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 2002. 

Nursing Workforce Project - Recruitment and Retention of Nurses in Residential Aged Care, Final Report for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, 2002.  Pearson A, Nay R, Koch S, Rosewarne R, Applied Aged Care Solutions, Ward C and Andrews C.

Review of the Relative Resource Equity Formula in The Home and Community Care Program in Victoria.  Final Report July 2001. Department of Human Services Victoria, pp 1-115. Howe A, Rosewarne R, Applied Aged Care Solutions, Sarjeant H and Droog D, Cumpston Sarjeant, Lowe L and Saxon R from HDG Consulting Group.

O'Connor D.W, Rosewarne R.C & Bruce, A. Depression in Primary Care 1:Elderly Patients' Disclosure of Depressive Symptoms to their Doctors. International Psychogeriatrics, Vol 13, No.3, 2001, pp 359-365.

O'Connor D.W, Rosewarne R.C & Bruce, A. Depression in Primary Care 2: General Practitioners' Recognition of Major Depression in Elderly Patients. International Psychogeriatrics, Vol 13, No.3, 2001, pp 367-374.

Alzheimer's Australia National Data Reports No.1-11 . Applied Aged Care Solutions: Report to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, September 2001

Telephone Advisory Service & Counselling Program: Consumer Views on Service Outcomes. Applied Aged Care Solutions: Report to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, Office for Older Australians & Alzheimer's Association of Australia, July 2000.

Rosewarne R.C., Opie J.R. and Ward S.M. Dementia-Specific Care in Australia: An Overview and Future Directions. Research and Practice in Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 4, Springer Publishing Company (New York) 2000.

Opie, J.R, Rosewarne, R.C and O'Connor D.W. The Efficacy of Psychosocial Approaches to Behaviour Disorders in Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (1999).

Cuthbertson, S, Lindsay-Smith, E and Rosewarne, R.C. Review of the Resident Classification Scale. July 1998. Aged and Community Care Service Development and Evaluation Reports, No. 36.

Bruce, A.M and Rosewarne, R.C. 1998. Wandering and Dementia. Report to the Health Department of Victoria.