Aged care benefits from health-literate workforce
When staff feel confident explaining and guiding healthy behaviours, older people are more likely to adopt them, OneCare chief Peter Williams tells Australian Ageing Agenda.
Allied health, exercise, reablement and restorative care are critical to helping older people maintain independence, dignity, and quality of life, says Peter Williams, the chief executive officer of Tasmanian aged care and retirement living provider OneCare. A health-literate workforce is key to uptake, he adds.
Speaking to Australian Ageing Agenda ahead of his appearance at this month’s Positive Ageing Summit, Mr Willams said the widespread adoption of allied health and reablement approaches was important for both older people and the aged care sector.
“They shift the focus from passive care to active wellbeing, helping older people stay stronger, more connected, and more engaged. For the aged care sector, adopting these models supports better outcomes, reduces unnecessary hospitalisations, and aligns with the broader move toward rights-based, person-led care,” Mr Williams told AAA.
Improving the health literacy of the workforce is key to boosting the adoption of allied health and reablement-focused services, he said.
“A health-literate workforce is essential for safe, high-quality care. It enables staff to better communicate, understand consumer needs, and promote participation in reablement programs,” Mr Williams said.
“When staff feel confident explaining, guiding, and encouraging healthy behaviours, consumers are more likely to engage – leading to improved outcomes and a stronger sense of purpose for everyone involved.”
The Positive Ageing Summit, which takes place on 28-29 May at the Hilton Adelaide, aims to inspire collaboration and share evidence-based strategies to achieve better outcomes in aged care.
Mr Williams will deliver a keynote address on the second day of the conference, demonstrating how building a more health-literate workforce can boost staff wellbeing, drive client outcomes, and strengthen engagement in allied health and reablement.
On where aged care providers should start when building health literacy within their workforce, Mr Williams pointed to culture.
“Embed health literacy into orientation, communication training, and everyday practice, not just policies. Make it relevant, practical, and easy to integrate across roles,” Mr Williams told AAA.
Partnering with allied health professionals to co-design training using real-life scenarios and to make information accessible are also great first steps, he said.
“It’s also important to create a workplace where staff feel empowered to ask questions and seek clarification, just as we want our consumers to do.”
Elsewhere on day 2, conference delegates will have the opportunity to hear the consumer perspective from Council of the Elders chair Anne Burgess and Vector Consultants director Judith Leeson.
As part of the discussion, Ms Burgess and Ms Leeson will share their views on how allied health, reablement and restorative care can support seniors to engage and age well.
Other speakers at the summit include:
- Kate Weger, national clinical governance manager, HARTMANN, shares strategies to support older people at end of life
- Merlin Kong, founder of Youtopient, delves into technology for positive ageing
- Kylie Walton, aged care dietitian lead, Food Solutions, unpacks the role of nutrition in reablement and restorative care
- Dr Chris Bollen, director, Bollen Health, delivers practical insights into tackling frailty and sarcopenia.
Positive Ageing Summit is an initiative of Australian Ageing Agenda and Community Care Review – read our coverage of the event here and find out more on the Positive Ageing Summit 2025 website
