Rate My Professor Kathleen McCauley

The study utilized surveys distributed to 20 older people, semi-structured interviews with seven older people, seven caregivers, and Home Care Package service provider coordinators, along with theoretical sampling involving additional interviews and analysis of policy documents and reports. Employing a grounded theory approach with open coding, focused coding, theoretical coding, and constant comparative analysis, supplemented by descriptive statistics from SPSS, the findings delineate the basic social problem as 'journeying through uncharted territory,' characterized by deteriorating health, complexities in the aged care system, and emotional turmoil. The corresponding basic social process, 'maintaining independent living against the odds,' encompasses adaptive strategies and informal system navigation. Recommendations include improving information accessibility and user-friendliness, establishing supportive pathways for navigation, and contributing to policy development for the new home care system commencing in July 2025. McCauley has presented her work at the 20th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing and the Australian Association of Gerontology Conference. Prior to her academic role, she served as a Social Worker at the Department of Health (WA Health).