Aged Care Policies and Frameworks

This paper explores the primary healthcare process for older people and their representation in global and Australian healthcare policies and frameworks.

Running head: AGED CARE
AGED CARE POLICIES AND FRAMEWORKS
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Introduction
Advancement in the healthcare delivery system, evidence based interventions and
path breaking medical researches has positively influence the care process around the world
by increasing the life expectancy of the population (Stoddart & Evans, 2017). However, such
increase in life expectancy and increased elderly population receiving care in healthcare
facilities require long term care with implementation of trained and patient friendly
healthcare professionals (Harper, 2014). As per Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(2019), more than 15% or 3.8 million population were registered more than 65 years and the
Australian government is completely focused in meeting the healthcare needs and priorities
of this community.
The primary aim of this paper is to identify the primary healthcare process for older
people and identify their representation in the policies, laws and social service delivery in the
global and Australian healthcare process. Further, the older healthcare process resource
allocation, service provision and service provision would be provided using a social capital
approach. Finally, using user-pays, model of wellness and case management with active
aging related models would be used to critique the model of healthcare.
Primary healthcare for older people
As per the world health organisation, there are two global policies that have guided
the aging care frameworks of multiple nations including Australia. These policy instruments
are “political declaration and Madrid International plan of action on aging” and the
active aging by the World Health Organisation (Nakanishi & Nakashima, 2013). These
policies are in public domain so that national and state healthcare organisations with the help
of their governmental support could lead to develop and implement strategies so that aged
healthcare becomes enable to support critical healthcare needs. Further, it also ensures that

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application of such policy frameworks could enhance the quality of life of the older
individual by approaching their mental, physical and social aspect of care (Prince et al.,
2013). While assessing the representation of older adults while developing healthcare policies
and frameworks, it should be mentioned that the strategic priority areas developed by WHO
for aged care includes life- course healthy aging, supportive environment, application of long
term care intervention and upgrading healthcare system (Williamson et al., 2016). This would
help the healthcare policymakers of different nations to include five main areas in their
healthcare policies especially for older adults. These would be prevention of fall, enhancing
their physical activities, preventing infectious diseases by increased vaccination, developing
care homes, community care centres, to support the self- management and finally the
increasing the capacities of the geriatric care centres to support maximum number of patients
with their skills and interventions. However, there are several aspects that was missed while
developing aged care polices and frameworks due to which the complete implementation of
these strategies caused extensive pressure (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019).
In Australian context, as per the Department of Health (2019) the current standards
for aged health and social care includes accreditation standards, policies for aging in
aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders, transition care standards and home care centres that
targets holistic health and social care aspects of the wide aged care population. However,
despite the wide spread laws and regulations about aged care process in Australian aged care
facility, several gaps affected their representation in the conventional healthcare in Australia.
Lack of hospital beds, and lack of infrastructure for long term care has affected the
application of such legislations and policies in the aged car process Australia.
Evaluation of rationales
While allocating resources (both financial and human resources) application of social
care approach should be mentioned as their connection through reciprocity, care trust and

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cohesion could lead to effective care process for the older adults of the society. As per
Williamson et al., (2016), while determining resource allocation, determining service
provision and coordination of service several aspects should be taken care of so that resource
allocation could be equal and effective for their needs and requirements (Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare, 2019). In Australian healthcare facilities, prior to providing resources
and care provisions, presence of older adults and their care needs, requirement of intensive
care and required emergency surgery, patients requiring palliative care and end of life care,
and patients with terminal illness that would not be cured are assessed and depending on
these allocation of resources are done (Choi et al., 2012).
Therefore, while allocation of resources such as inclusion of excess workforce,
upgrading the service provision, application of developed instrument and infrastructure these
aspects should be taken care of. As per Lim et al. (2014), due to excess pressure and
workload, majority of the nursing professionals are reluctant to work in geriatric units, care
homes and aged care facilities. Hence providing the patient with effective healthcare is one of
the primary provisions so that proper distribution of resources, employees and others could be
achieved. Further, by allocating proper human and financial resources helps the healthcare
facilities to implement accurate and appropriate care so that the need of the older adults could
be met (Mosadeghrad, 2014). As per the theory of social care approach, while providing care
to the aged individual, physicians do not expect favourable outcomes due to their inability to
comply with the medication, and self- management processes. Therefore, while applying this
approach in determining proper distribution of human and financial resources in healthcare
facilities, equal opportunity argument, ethical obligations and elderly discriminations should
be addressed (Hardyman, Daunt & Kitchener, 2015).
Further, effective healthcare processes are determined by application of proper
rationing and distribution of the healthcare approaches and therefore, it is important for the

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healthcare professionals to provide the state or national government with proper requirement
and needs of the aged patients so that depending on the need of each aspect of care, resources
and strategies could be provided to the healthcare facilities. This is an important aspect as
mentioned in the social care approach, as per which it is important for the governments to
provide proper resources to the healthcare facilities because this approach provides accurate
and equal distribution about the process (Smolowitz, 2012). Further, based on their lingual
preferences, their sexual orientations, their cultural aspects (aboriginal and Torres Strait
islands) and their healthcare needs proper care is provided to the patient. This is the way the
resources and service provisions related to aged care is determine in global and Australian
healthcare facilities (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019).
Critical assessment of primary healthcare delivery processes
While providing quality care to the elderly patients, it is important to implement
several models and strategies so that application of it could provide a proper guideline to the
healthcare professionals to include all the critical aspects important for care delivery of aged
population (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019). Active aging is a process
defined by the World Health Organisation as per which, active aging is process in which
people going through the aging process leads proper wellbeing, physical, cognitive and social
wellbeing. Further, through the application of healthcare interventions it is important to
enhance the quality of life in aging condition. More than healthcare pharmacological
interventions, it includes cognitive, mental and physical interventions so that through the
application of alternative therapies primary target of meeting the needs of older individuals
could be made. However, majority of the healthcare facilities around the world, do not
include such therapies and provide only critical or short-term care to the older adults and
hence, they become unable to comply to such care model (Sittig & Singh, 2015).

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Model of wellness is also termed as active wellness as per which while caring for
people suffering from terminally or critical illness, it is more important to meet their lifestyle
enhancing quality through the application of patient centred and family centred care. Hence,
in this aspect, it is important to implement ethical aspect of care such as autonomy, non-
maleficence, beneficence and others. These would help to address the critical and crucial
healthcare needs of the older adults and the global and national healthcare policies and
strategies also provide such provision. Further, as per Williamson et al. (2016), this model
helps to promote active aging and proper wellness related aspects in health promotion so that
with proper physical and mental, cognitive and emotional strength could also be achieved.
With timely and flexible care approach, this helps to develop self- management and self-
determination abilities in the older adults so that holistic approach of care could be
developed. However, as per Sittig and Singh. (2015), majority of the healthcare professionals
around the world implements family centred and patient centred acre so that compliance with
active service model could be achieved and maximum facilities could be provided to them.
Hence, through the application of these models, maximum benefit is targeted to provide the
older adults.
Conclusion
While concluding this paper, it could be said that majority of the healthcare policies
and frameworks for the older adults and their healthcare provision is regulated as per the need
of the country and then through application of changes, proper care is provided to the patient.
In this aspect, this paper included the type of primary care provisions are present in national
and international settings and then critically discussed their application to provide older
adults with effective interventions. Further, it was also seen that the compliance with health
service delivery models and rational for resource allocation were associated with application
of competent care for the older adults.

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