Living Longer Living Better Australian Policy

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Table of Contents

Occupational Focus
Examples
Models
Relation to Health Promotion Principles
Conclusion
References

Occupational Focus

Living Longer Living Better policy pointed out that “The current aged care system does not place sufficient emphasis on wellness and restorative care” (Living Longer Living Better: Aged care reform package, 2012). The policy also mentioned that the occupational level of aged care is one of the largest and employs over 15% of RNs and about 64% of personal carers (Living Longer Living Better: Aged care reform package, 2012). In that way, the authors of the policy demonstrated a clear vision of the disadvantages of the aged care approaches and practices and used to be in place previously. World Federation of Occupational Therapists (n.d.) added that the primary focus of the policy is optimising and rationalising the existing resources to achieve better efficiency. As noted by Braveman and Metzler (2012), the reforming is relevant to OT because it is likely to expand its role in the health care system and its preventative activities, the practices targeted at the promotion of healthy lifestyle and wellness.

Examples

Rudolph, Caplan, Ben-Moshe, and Dillon (2012) use the public health issue of obesity as one of the aspects that require reforming and can be positively impacted by it. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004), the older population of Australia (55 and older) has been strongly affected by the problem of excessive weight and conditions related to it such as diabetes and hypertension (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Reforming the sector of health care working specifically with the ageing population will address this challenge and optimise the practices promoting healthy lifestyle and diet thus helping to reduce the rates of conditions connected to obesity. For instance, the prevalence of hypertension that affects 11% of the Australian older population can be minimised via the enablement of such practices as the communication between the health care providers and patients (nurse-led reach out programs, email and phone reminder systems, provision of education and the improvement of literacy for better self-care).

Moreover, the preventive practices and measures can become more effective. Their optimisation is likely to increase the precision of screenings for various age-related mental health problems such as Alzheimer’s and dementia that can be addressed if diagnosed at the early stages. These conditions are rather common among the aging population of Australia; currently, about 2.7% of the Australian older citizens report that these two conditions are the drivers of mental or behavioural issues, and prevalence of the two conditions in this segment of the Australian population has increased since 2009 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Aged Care Reform Package stated that targeting the provision of more accessible care to the older people in their homes is one of its primary priorities and a significant amount of funding will be spent for this purpose (Living Longer Living Better: Aged care reform package, 2012).

Models

Another example is based on the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance (CMOP) that is very patient-centered – this model is extremely applicable to the improvement of the healthcare practices such as Aging in Place where the environments and communities of the older adults in Australia are adjusted to the patients’ needs and conditions (Occupational Therapy Australia, n.d.). The practices of home-improvement work based on CMOP and similar approaches were the patient represents the ultimate measure of the environments. Reforming this segment of health care would improve the assessment practices detecting hazards the older citizens may face in their homes and the community resources that would help improve their quality of life. In fact, the Australian OPMA Model (Occupational Performance Model) is very similar to CMOP and has the same objectives of achieving the most efficient level of interaction between the individual and his or her environment. For instance, one of the ways to help the patients address their home-modification needs is to invest in technologies assessing home-based hazards or make the modifications more affordable to the individuals in need.

In addition, apart from targeting the needs and challenges of the patients, the reform will evaluate those faced by the providers of care to the aged population; for example, knowing the workforce issues and shortages, the reform could adjust the educational needs of the professional entering the field to prepare them to work with the new equipment, function within optimised teams, and follow the standardised evidence-based best practices (Kelley & Abraham, 2007).

Relation to Health Promotion Principles

Such principles as healthy food choices, education about nutritional risks, and the introduction of the exercises programs are some of the major bases for the health promotion practices implemented in aged care (McKenzie, Naccarella, & Thompson, 2007). Even though the government does not directly control the implementation of the care improvement programs, the reforms and change of policies are known to be able to produce a very strong impact on the initiatives designed to drive the promotion of health (Rudolph et al., 2012).

The model known as the Person Environment Occupational Performance is the perspective that views one’s wellbeing as a system of personal, sociocultural, and physical factors that are deeply intertwined (Barney & Perkinson, 2015). This model powers the promotion of health that involves many different aspects. Apart from a proper diet, one is to adhere to regular exercise and a sufficient level of physical activity, maintain their emotional and psychological wellbeing with the help of the community and family. The creators of Living Longer Living Better emphasised their awareness of the fact that being comfortable, maximally independent, and confident at home is a very important part of the older people’s lives (Living Longer Living Better: Aged care reform package, 2012). In addition, the research shows that home-based health promotion practices are generally more popular among the patients than those based in the hospitals or communities (Haines et al., 2016). In that way, having enough resources to accomplish home visits and reach out programs in order to provide health care to the older adults in the form they need and want it is one of the primary objectives of the policy.

Conclusion

CEPAR (2014) noted that for the vast majority of older adults, long life is very rarely blissful; instead, it mainly comes along with a series of difficulties, severe health problems, pain, stress, and low quality of life. Living Longer Living Better is the policy launched in Australia that targets the older citizens for a purpose to improve their wellbeing via the optimisation of the quality and provision of aged care. Relying on the theoretical models that view an individual as the center of their environments and in the constant interaction with them, the policy attempts to adjust the surroundings of the older citizens to maximise their comfort and minimise health risks. For that, the policy intends to strengthen the promotion of health and the included occupational practices such as the provision of education, the improvement of self-care, knowledge about self-management, and prevention strategies.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012).Older people long-term health conditions. Web.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2004). Obesity trends in older Australians. Bulletin, 12, 1-16.

Barney, K. & Perkinson, M. (2015). Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults: Promoting Quality of Life through Collaborative Practice. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Braveman, B., & Metzler, C. (2012). Health care reform implementation and occupational therapy. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy: Official Publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 66(1), 11-4.

CEPAR. (2014). Aged care in Australia. Web.

Government of Australia. (2012). Living longer Living better. Web.

Haines, T., Hill, K., Vu, T., Clemson, L., Finch, C., & Day, L. (2016). Does action follow intention with participation in home and group-based falls prevention exercise programs? An exploratory, prospective, observational study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 64, 151–161.

Kelley, K., & Abraham, C. (2007). Health promotion for people aged over 65 years in hospitals: nurses’ perceptions about their role. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16(3), 569-579.

McKenzie, R., Naccarella, L., & Thompson, C. (2007). Well for Life: Evaluation and policy implications of a health promotion initiative for frail older people in aged care settings. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 26(3), 135-140.

Occupational Therapy Australia. (n.d.). Caring for Older Australians. Web.

Rudolph, L., Caplan, J., Ben-Moshe, K., & Dillon, L. (2012). Health in all policies.

Washington, DC and Oakland, CA: American Public Health Association and Public Health Institute. World Federation of Occupational Therapists. (n.d.). How to realize governments’ Commitment to provide financing for NCDs. Discussion Paper WG 5(1), 1-2.

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