Market Research for Disability & Aged Care

Market Research for Disability

and Aged Care:

Research That Puts People First

The organisations working in disability and aged care carry an extraordinary responsibility to deliver services that genuinely improve the quality of life of some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Whether you provide disability services, aged care, or child and family support, at 10 THOUSAND FEET we understand that responsibility deeply. And we know that the best way to honour it is to ensure the decisions these organisations make are grounded in real evidence, real insight, and a genuine understanding of the people they serve.

We’ve spent more than 20 years delivering market research for disability organisations and aged care providers across Australia, with deep experience in child and family services too. It’s nuanced, sensitive work; and it’s work we’re genuinely passionate about.

What Is Market Research for Disability and Aged Care Organisations?

Market research for disability and aged care organisations is the systematic collection and analysis of insights from the clients, carers, family members, referrers, funders, and communities these organisations exist to support. Unlike general market research, this work requires a specialist approach: one that is inclusive by design, sensitive in practice, and capable of reaching and hearing from vulnerable audiences.

Done well, research in this sector helps organisations:

Understand the lived experience of clients and their carers
Assess service quality and identify where improvements are needed
Benchmark client satisfaction and track changes over time
Evaluate brand health and community awareness
Engage professional referrer networks and understand their perceptions
Demonstrate impact and service value to funders and government bodies
Navigate service redesigns, new program launches, and brand transitions with confidence

Our Experience in Market Research for Disability and Aged Care

We bring a team of senior researchers to every disability and aged care engagement, each with 15 or more years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research. That depth of expertise matters enormously in a sector where the quality of the research relationship is just as important as the quality of the research itself.

Disability Research Experience

Our disability research experience spans client satisfaction studies, service assessment, brand and awareness research, NDIS participant experience surveys, and research with professional referrer networks. We have worked with organisations including Aspect, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Cycling without Age, The Flagstaff Group, Guide Dogs, Just Better Care, and NSW Health conducting research that reaches and meaningfully engages people living with disability; with the sensitivity and accessibility these engagements demand.

Aged Care Research Experience

Our aged care research experience covers client and family satisfaction, service assessment, brand perception, referrer engagement, and government reporting research. We have worked with organisations including The Benevolent Society, RAAFA, and Wesley Mission Queensland; helping aged care providers understand the lived experience of the people they support and identify the most meaningful opportunities to improve their services.

Our experience in disability and aged care research spans:

Inclusive research practice — proven success engaging diverse audiences including people living with disability, older Australians, and families, with the empathy and sensitivity these engagements demand
Client satisfaction and service research — extensive work with national charities and service providers on service assessment, category usage and attitudes, and client satisfaction
Brand research for not-for-profits — helping disability and aged care organisations understand how they are perceived in the community and by the referrer networks they depend on
Social impact and Theory of Change research — conducting surveys, depth interviews, and focus groups to uncover and demonstrate the impact and outcomes organisations deliver to their clients
Philanthropic giving insights — deep experience in researching the funder landscape and the barriers that prevent philanthropic foundations from achieving their full impact

When you work with us, you get the depth and expertise of a large agency, paired with the attentiveness and personal focus of a boutique firm. Our senior researchers lead every project from start to finish.

Credential	Detail
Researcher experience	Senior team with 15–25+ years each in qualitative and quantitative research
Sector coverage	Disability, aged care, child, youth and family services across Australia
Government panels	Listed on NSW and Federal Government research panels
Compliance	All team members hold current NDIS Worker Check clearances and Working with Children checks
Research scope	Client satisfaction, brand, referrer, service assessment, social impact, and program evaluation

Sensitivity, Ethics, and Accessibility: By Design

Research in disability and aged care isn’t like other research. The people at the centre of it; people living with disability, older Australians, those navigating complex care systems deserve a research experience that is thoughtful, accessible, and genuinely respectful of their circumstances.

We design every aspect of our research with this in mind: from the language used in surveys and discussion guides, to the formats, accessibility considerations, and channels used to reach participants, to the way we facilitate conversations that may touch on deeply personal experiences.

Every member of our team holds a current NDIS Worker Check clearance and Working with Children Check. We are listed on both NSW and Federal Government research panels, reflecting the standards of data privacy, security, and ethical practice we uphold across all our work. And we never treat compliance as a ceiling, it’s a floor. Our standard is always higher.

The Power of Research for Referrer Networks

One area where we have particular depth is research with professional referrer audiences; the healthcare professionals, social workers, and support coordinators who play a critical role in connecting people with disability and aged care services.

Understanding how referrers perceive your organisation, how well they understand your services, and what strengthens or weakens their confidence in recommending you is essential intelligence for any organisation operating in this sector. Yet it’s often the hardest audience to reach and engage meaningfully.

We have extensive experience designing and delivering research specifically for referrer audiences benchmarking engagement and service understanding, tracking shifts in perception over time, identifying strengths and pain points, and translating findings into practical strategies for strengthening these critical relationships.

Our Market Research Services for Disability and Aged Care

We offer a tailored range of research services for disability and aged care organisations; and we always work closely with each client to shape an approach that fits their specific context, audience, and objectives.

Client and Community Research

Client Satisfaction Research — Measuring the experiences of the people your organisation supports, and identifying where service quality can be improved
Carer and Family Research — Understanding the needs, concerns, and experiences of the families and carers who support your clients
Service Assessment and Usage Research — Evaluating how services are used, what is working, and where gaps exist
Segmentation and Profiling Research — Understanding the distinct needs of different client groups within your community

Brand and Awareness Research

Brand Health Research — Assessing your organisation’s profile, reputation, and positioning in the community and among key stakeholder groups
Service Awareness Research — Understanding how well-known your services are among the people who need them most
Brand Transition Research — Guiding organisations through rebrands or service redesigns with evidence at every stage

Referrer and Stakeholder Research

Professional Referrer Research — Benchmarking engagement, service understanding, and perceptions among healthcare professionals, social workers, and support coordinators
Stakeholder Engagement Research — Understanding the views and priorities of the government bodies, funders, and partner organisations your work depends on

Impact and Social Research

Social Impact Research — Measuring and communicating the real-world difference your organisation makes in the lives of the people it serves
Government and Funder Reporting Research — Structured research programs designed to feed directly into government reporting and accountability frameworks

Trust Research

Organisational and Staff Trust Research — Understanding what drives trust in your organisation, and critically, what drives trust in the staff delivering services to clients; measuring performance across the key trust dimensions that matter most in this sector

Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Get in touch; we love designing bespoke research solutions that meet a specific need.

Why Specialist Market Research Matters in Disability and Aged Care

Disability and aged care organisations operate under a level of scrutiny, accountability, and regulatory complexity that few other sectors match. They answer to clients, carers, families, funders, government bodies, and the broader community; often simultaneously, and often with limited resources.

Generic research approaches rarely account for the specific dynamics of this environment. Specialist research does. It accounts for the sensitivity required when working with vulnerable populations, the accessibility considerations that shape how research is designed and delivered, the referrer relationships that are central to service uptake, and the reporting obligations that govern how findings must be structured and communicated.

We understand these dynamics because we’ve worked within them for decades. Our research is designed not just to surface insights, but to be genuinely useful, actionable by the teams who receive it, and meaningful to the people whose experiences shaped it.

Client Case Studies

The Benevolent Society — Brand Research, Client Feedback, and Disability Gateway Research

Our partnership with The Benevolent Society; Australia’s first and oldest charity spans multiple research programs and reflects the breadth of what specialist research can achieve for a large national not-for-profit.

We have conducted both qualitative and quantitative research to capture general market and client feedback; delivering actionable insights that enable The Benevolent Society to implement targeted, evidence-based improvements across their services. This work covers brand health, valued services, areas for improvement, and insights into program and communication innovation that better meets community needs.

This ongoing partnership speaks to our position as a trusted, long-term research advisor to one of Australia’s most respected not-for-profit organisations. Read about some of our work with the Benevolent Society.

Professional Referrer Research — Major Not-for-Profit Organisation

For a major not-for-profit organisation, we designed and delivered a multi-phase research program to benchmark engagement, service understanding, and perceptions of the organisation among key professional referrer audiences.

The research assessed perceptions of a refreshed brand both before launch and after communications had been in market giving the organisation a clear, evidence-based view of how the rebrand was landing with the people who matter most to their service uptake. Referrer audiences included a range of healthcare professionals and social support workers.

The study revealed initial impressions, identified strategies to refine the organisation’s approach to referrer relationships, and tracked shifts in key metrics over time providing an invaluable roadmap for strengthening one of the most critical relationships in their service model.

More case studies coming soon.

What Our Clients Say

“The professionalism and patience of the team is second to none. It is always a pleasure working with them — even in the grey, slow and frustrating moments of a project, they bring a kindness and lightness to the process. They invest the time in ensuring communication and deliverables are clear, and that everyone understands what is expected by when.”

Candace Powell, Customer Experience Lead — The Benevolent Society

Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs market research for disability organisations? Any organisation providing services to people with disability; whether an NDIS provider, specialist disability accommodation provider, supported employment service, or large national NFP that wants to improve client satisfaction, understand service gaps, strengthen its brand, engage referrer networks more effectively, or demonstrate impact to funders and government bodies.

Who needs market research for aged care providers? Any aged care provider; from large residential aged care facilities to home care package providers and community aged care services looking to understand the experience of residents and their families, benchmark service quality, improve referrer relationships, navigate service redesigns with evidence, or meet government reporting requirements.

How do you ensure research is accessible and inclusive? Accessibility and inclusion are built into our research design from the start not added as an afterthought. This means considering the format, language, length, accessibility, and delivery channel of every research instrument, and being flexible and patient in the way we engage with participants. Our senior researchers have extensive experience working with disability, aged care, and child and family audiences, and bring genuine sensitivity to every engagement.

Do your team members hold the required sector clearances? Yes. Every member of our team holds a current NDIS Worker Check clearance and Working with Children Check. We are also listed on NSW and Federal Government research panels, reflecting the rigorous standards we maintain in data privacy, security, and ethical practice.

Can you conduct research for government reporting purposes? Yes. We have experience designing research programs specifically to generate findings that meet government reporting requirements. We regularly run surveys with results reported back to government funding bodies such as the Department of Social Services.

Do you work with both large and small organisations in this sector? Absolutely. We have worked with large national organisations like The Benevolent Society and Guide Dogs as well as smaller regional and specialist providers. Our research scope and methodology are always tailored to the size, budget, and specific objectives of each organisation.

What makes 10 THOUSAND FEET different from a general research agency in this space? Genuine specialist experience, a senior team, and a way of working that our clients consistently describe as patient, attentive, and kind; even when projects are complex or challenging. We understand the sector, we understand the audiences, and we understand what it takes to turn research into decisions that genuinely improve people’s lives.

Research has the power to help disability and aged care organisations make better decisions, deliver better services, and create a better quality of life for the people they support. We’d love to explore how we can help your organisation do just that.

Enquire here or book a complimentary strategy session with a research expert — we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s start a conversation

We’ve helped other clients transform their organisations and would love to be part of your story.

Address

Level 6, 275 Alfred Street North,
North Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2060

Email

info@10thousandfeet.com

Phone

02 8080 7544