How to: organisations guided on enabling approaches

AUDIO: From an organisational stocktake to developing an implementation plan to practical communication strategies for frontline staff, leading consultants share top tips for providers to adopt wellness and reablement programs.

AUDIO: From an organisational stocktake to developing an implementation plan to practical communication strategies for frontline staff, leading consultants share top tips for providers to adopt wellness and reablement programs.

Aged and community care organisations seeking to meet their new requirements to embed wellness approaches need to first look at the desired outcomes for clients and work back from that, according to a leading provider of allied health for seniors.

Paula Fiévez of Ageing Wisely said that once organisations had established the desired outcomes they could then develop a clear implementation plan spelling out how they would embed a wellness approach within their organisations, communicating it and redesigning their workforce as necessary.

At the Active Ageing Conference 2015 last week Ms Fiévez guided providers through an “organisational stocktake” in order to meet their new requirements to embed wellness, reablement and restorative care in home support and home care.

After her workshop, Ms Fiévez told AAA’s Natasha Egan about some of the steps providers could take to get started:

Elsewhere the conference also heard that a change in communication style could enable frontline care workers to implement person-centred and wellness approaches with clients.

Author and coach Lindsay Tighe delivered a simple message to Australia’s aged care workers: stop telling clients what to do, ask them better questions and listen to what they say.

Community care managers and frontline workers needed to examine how they communicate with clients, which has traditionally been driven by a paternalistic approach in the sector, Ms Tighe said.

Ms Tighe told AAA that by enabling aged care workers to recognise when and how to ask questions, as opposed to giving advice, they will be able to practice a more person-centred approach:

The Active Ageing Conference 2015, hosted by Australian Ageing Agenda and Community Care Review, brought together researchers, providers and allied health professionals to discuss the wellness approaches now expected in both home support and home care since 1 July.

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Tags: active ageing conference 2015, allied-health, Paula Fiévez, reablement, wellness,

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