Doing aged care differently: help for providers in embracing wellness models
Pioneering providers, researchers and advisors will come together at AAA’s Active Ageing Conference next week to share the latest evidence and practice on wellness, reablement and restorative care in aged care.
With the government’s first restorative care packages being allocated this month, interest in wellness models in aged care is mounting.
At the same time providers are still grappling with their new requirements to adopt wellness and reablement in home care and home support.
Now a group of pioneering providers is preparing to share their experiences of developing and implementing reablement and wellness programs across their organisations at next week’sActive Ageing Conference 2016.
The event organised by Australian Ageing Agenda and Community Care Review will also hear the latest research evidence on the wellness approaches, as well as the elements for successful implementation.
From gyms co-located at residential facilities to programs that re-connect older people with activities in their community – the range of wellness and reablement programs being pursued by aged care organisations has expanded in recent years.
Clockwise from top left: Melissa Young, Wina Kung, Jo Boylan and Lindsay Tighe will speak at next week’s Active Ageing Conference
Three pioneering providers – Alzheimer’s Queensland, Catholic Community Services NSW/ACT and Southern Cross Care SA/NT – will discuss their journeys and the challenges and opportunities they experienced.
Lee-Fay Low, Associate Professor in Ageing and Health at the University of Sydney, will discuss the latest research evidence in the area and successful ingredients of reablement programs for older people in home and residential care
Risk, consumer empowerment
The one-day conference will also hear from UnitingCare lifeAssist’s Wina Kung who will discuss how to manage the increased risk that comes with empowering clients to take more control of their lives.
Melissa Young, a consultant who is advising the sector on aged care transformation, will tell providers that early planning is essential to empowering aged care consumers, especially within a wellness and reablement approach.
Kelly Gray from CommunityWest will share new insights from a major trial that has involved 10 aged care services working with consumers to co-produce wellness and enablement programs.
CommunityWest partnered with COTA Australia on the Step Forward Together project, which has been trialling co-production with 10 pilot sites around Australia since October 2015.