Sharing the learnings can improve future care for all

A growing number of Victorian seniors are opting to remain in their homes longer and age in place. As an aged care provider, Benetas will always search for new and research-driven ways to better support our home care clients to maintain their health and wellbeing.  

One such initiative involved an eight-week wellness and reablement pilot, which included 17 home care clients who received twice-weekly physiotherapy sessions. The physiotherapy sessions were carried out by United Physio Group, with Benetas nurses also undertaking regular nursing assessments.  

As our sector faces increasing demand and rising acuity of clients, it’s essential for providers to proactively share their experiences in running wellness and reablement programs, so we can all learn from each other.  

The pilot was largely successful but one of the biggest challenges we faced was the fact that in the absence of a major health event impacting mobility of participants, there was a lack of motivation for clients to participate.  

Not even the fact that it was free to join was enough of an incentive for people to sign up.  

While the number of participants wasn’t large, the results reflect improvement across the board with noticeable progress in client balance and overall health as well as a reduction in the likelihood of falls occurring.  

Before and after the pilot, participants were assessed on six key measures, and their progress was gauged across a range of categories, including mobility, self-care, activity, pain and anxiety.  

By the end of the eight weeks, all participants improved in at least one of these metrics while 10 improved in three or more. A total of 13 participants improved their performance in activities they had identified as focus areas before the pilot, and 10 improved their performance on activities assessed by physiotherapists.  

These results reinforced the fact that there is no specific formula to motivate people to participate in wellbeing programs and also highlighted the importance of a tailored approach.  

It also showed that innovative thinking will be needed to address barriers to participation as we work to improve clients’ lives. Adding complementary services, such as regular physiotherapy and nursing assessments, can improve a senior’s quality of life and help them stay at home longer.  

The project also highlighted strong partnerships with other health providers were central to delivering positive outcomes.  

As a sector, the implementation of learnings from pilots such as this will play an important part in our ability to support the care of older Australians in the coming decades.   

Sandra Hills OAM 

Published by Australian Ageing Agenda