EMBED

Silverchain has designed a new program to enhance the emotional wellbeing of older people receiving aged care at home. The EMBED program provides people with access to resources and sessions with a clinician to help them implement strategies to improve their mood.

Each person selects areas that interest them, such as physical activity, eating healthy, increasing social connection, improving sleep, relaxation, and mindfulness.

Depending on the person’s level of mood or wellbeing, they receive between 3 and 10 sessions with the clinician, which each last around 60 minutes. The sessions will happen via telephone or video call, whichever is preferred. People also receive a resource pack to help them apply the strategies at home.

The EMBED Trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the new EMBED program when implemented at Silverchain. This includes both the costs and benefits associated with the implementation of the new program. EMBED is being tested in a randomised controlled trial, so that we can compare EMBED with our usual care at Silverchain.

Silverchain has partnered with a group of experts from several universities to evaluate EMBED - including Monash University, and Swinburne University of Technology among others. The trial is funded by a grant from the Medical Research Future Fund, and led by Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison, Silverchain’s Director, Research Discovery. 

If you take part, you will be put into one of two groups at random. Some clients will continue to receive their usual aged care services with Silverchain, while others will receive usual care plus EMBED. Those receiving EMBED will talk regularly with a clinician and set goals and develop strategies designed to improve their mood and wellbeing.

Regardless of which group you are assigned to, we will ask you some questions over the telephone on three occasions. This will help us to understand if EMBED improves people’s wellbeing or mood.

There is no cost to take part – the program is free for Silverchain clients. 

In recognition of the time it takes to participate in the study, each person will receive a $50 gift voucher once the final telephone call is completed.

The trial is running now, with new participants welcomed until end of April 2026.

• People aged 65 years or over, who live in Western Australia or South Australia and receive aged care services from Silverchain.
• People must currently experience low mood and be interested in learning new strategies to improve their emotional wellbeing. 
• Those who are already receiving psychological treatments elsewhere or who have complex mental health issues, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, are likely not able to take part. 
• Because the intervention (and the evaluation) is conducted using the telephone or internet, people must be able to communicate using at least one of these modes. 

For further information, please contact embed@silverchain.org.au or call 1300 650 803.