Providers work with consumers to design enabling aged care

While “co-production” has become a key term in aged care policy in recent times, many aged care providers still aren’t clear on what it means in practice. Now the lessons from a major trial will help to demonstrate.

While “co-production” has become a key term in aged care policy in recent times, many aged care providers still aren’t clear on what it means in practice. Now the lessons from a major trial will help to demonstrate.

Since last year a group of 10 aged care services have been working with consumers to co-produce wellness and enablement programs.

Kelly Gray
Kelly Gray

Kelly Gray from CommunityWest will share the insights from that major trial at the Active Ageing Conference in Sydney next month.

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.

At the conference providers will hear about the journey of the pilot projects and see how co-production can be applied to both the residential and community aged care settings.

Ms Gray said she would share learnings on how co-production worked with a range of consumers including those with dementia, mobility and cognitive impairments, mental health issues, homelessness and culturally and linguistically diverse people.

“Delegates will learn about the outcome of the pilot projects and see the journey through interviews, video footage and images,” said Ms Gray.

Lee-Fay Low
Lee-Fay Low

Elsewhere at the conference, which is hosted by Australian Ageing Agenda and Community Care Review, Sydney University Associate Professor in Ageing and Health, Lee-Fay Low, will outline the latest research evidence in the area and the “successful ingredients” of reablement programs for older people at home and in residential care.

Delegates will also hear from Southern Cross Care (SA & NT), which recently won an award for its fitness and wellness centres co-located at its residential facilities, during a session where leading aged care providers share their experiences of implementing reablement.

Other sessions during the day include:

  • using coaching in a restorative care model
  • risk management in reablement and restorative care programs
  • and using apps/smart devices for reablement and wellness.

The Active Ageing Conference 2016 takes place on 4 August at Swissotel, Sydney

Tags: active ageing 2016, communitywest, cota-australia, lee-fay-low, reablement, restorative care, Southern Cross Care SA & NT, Step Forward Together project, wellness,

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