What's happening in Australia and Queensland in age friendly health services?

In Australia, each state and territory has developed their own plans of action to improve the age-friendliness of their cities and communities. No one solution can be used for all of Australia, given the varying diversity of its people, communities and available resources. However it does help to know what’s working well for other regions of Australia and see whether or not these actions can be molded and tailored to the needs of Queensland.

North West Ageing and Aged Care Strategy 2017 (Western Australia)¹

Western Australia’s strategy set out a series of strategic goals that aimed to address the need to improve delivery of health services, improve connectivity within health services and provide access to quality health services that are reliable, consistent and culturally appropriate. These goals included¹:

• The review, recommendations and implementation of changes to improve local delivery of health services to older people in the North West region of WA including specialist services, dementia care, palliative care, a further strategy oncology, mental health, transitional and rehabilitation care and geriatric services.
• A strategy recommending opportunities and information to enhance well-being of older persons which includes a series health service involvement in strategies.
• Enhancement of delivery of home based care supports across the region.
• Enhancement and extension of aged care facilities and ability to enhance well-being of residents.

Strong, Liveable Communities: Tasmania’s Active Ageing Plan 2017-2022 ²

Tasmania has set out priority action areas for health by developing a four-part goal²:

1. Support people to be active in managing their own health. This includes strategies around health literacy, whole of community initiatives, connections to art, music and dance therapy, management of medications and information about preventive health measures.
2. Facilitate access to physical activity to improve strength resilience and participation. This includes local initiatives and community groups; high quality physical environments; partnerships with arts, parks and sporting organisations to promote low cost local activities; promotion of programs to build muscle strength as falls prevention.
3. Provide information and programs about affordable, healthy eating. This includes complementary resources for the LiveLighter campaign; training and resources for community organisations and screening for onset of chronic disease including obesity and malnutrition.
4. Improve access to mental and physical health care in rural communities. This includes telehealth expansion, central health hubs in regional communities for visiting services; gender based initiatives for access to and understanding of mental and physical health and a business case for mental health training for rural workers.

Queensland’s Age-Friendly Community Strategic Direction Statement³

So what’s happening in Queensland?

In Queensland, the Age-Friendly Community Strategic Direction Statement³ outlines priorities consistent with the WHO direction including community supports and health services.

The accompanying action plan outlines a series of strategies under community supports and health services.

This includes:

• The Queensland Health Advancing Health 2026 strategy.
• Consumer-centered health care by engaging with older people through Health Consumers Queensland.
• An older person’s state-wide health policy and health services plan.
• A survey of hospital and health services to provide age-friendly hospital services.
• An integrated care fund.
• Grants to support long-day respite for carers special to people with dementia and neurodegenerative conditions.
• Expansions of the elder abuse prevention unit helpline and seniors legal and support services.
• A review into prevalence and characteristics of elder abuse.
• Respond to the parliamentary enquiry into existing financial protections for Queensland’s seniors.
• Public safety and crime prevention.
• Education resources and promotion of awareness of financial elder abuse.
• Fund programs to address elder abuse in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Age Friendliness of QLD Health Services

A Queensland Health survey⁴ of older-person friendliness of hospitals was based around six key themes:

1. Clinical and executive leadership
2. Respected and involved consumers
3. Skilled and compassionate staff
4. Evidence-based assessment and management
5. Connected systems
6. Well-designed physical environments

The survey engaged clinical and executive leaders across Queensland hospitals. The survey found availability of services and connections to post-acute community providers, legal and ethical principles, processes for screening, prevention and management of complications including falls, pressure injuries, adverse drug events and malnutrition and some specialist geriatric units.

Opportunities for improvement in QLD highlighted in the report⁴

• Clinical and executive leadership and systems to monitor care of older people.
• Engagement with consumers in planning and evaluating older person-friendly care.
• Orientation and training of clinical and non-clinical staff in older-person care including consistent education.
• Improving screening, management and monitoring of functional decline, delirium and depression.
• Closer links with residential aged-care and community services for communities and alternative care pathways.
• Integrated risk assessment and team-based care planning.
• Use of older-person friendly design principles in construction, refurbishment and equipment purchased for the hospital.

 

^{1. Regional Development Australia (RDA). North West Aging and Aged Care Strategy. http://www.rdapilbara.org.au/resources/site1/General/17909%20RDA%20NW%20Aged%20Care%20Strategy_WEB[3].pdf}

^{2. Tasmanian Government (2017). Strong, liveable communities: Tasmania’s active ageing plan 2017-2022. http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/330588/Strong_Liveable_Communities_-_Low_Res.pdf}

^{3. Queensland Government. (2016). Queensland: an age-friendly community action plan. https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/resources/dcdss/seniors/age-friendly-community/qafc-action-plan.pdf}

^{4. Queensland Health Clinical Excellence Division. (2016). How older person-friendly are Queensland hospitals: A statewide survey of older person friendly principles and practices by the SOPHCN Acute Care Working Group 2016 State of Queensland: Brisbane. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/635652/sophcn-friendly-hosptials.pdf}