There is a growing understanding of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia define healthy ageing. Little is known however about how aged care services can support their healthy ageing needs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore community and service provider perspectives on how home‐based and residential aged care services can best support the healthy ageing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We used qualitative participatory action research involving semistructured interviews with (1) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receiving in‐home or residential aged care services and their family members and/or friends ( n = 61) and (2) aged care service providers involved in the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ( n = 9) across metropolitan, rural and remote South Australia. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. In total, n = 70 people participated in this study. Five themes, representing enablers and barriers across aged care service delivery, workforce and policy, were established. These included the following: (1) maintaining connections, (2) improved communication, (3) increased flexibility and choice, (4) a culturally safe workforce and (5) supporting service navigation. These findings contribute to an in‐depth understanding of how the aged care system can support healthy ageing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Collaborative approaches across the aged care, health and human services sectors are needed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and active involvement of communities in all stages of aged care policy design, implementation and evaluation.
Zagler et al. (2026) studied this question.