Support for Aged Communities: WHO Healthy Aging Model and Aged Care Services in Australia

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT 1
Support for Aged Communities
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1. INTRODUCTION
Being old comes with many challenges. For instance, old people’s health and well-being
significantly deteriorate with age. By so saying, the WHO reports on “Healthy Aging” show that
aged individuals are prone to several health complications compared to younger people.
Individuals are thus, encouraged to be responsible in managing their heaths and well-being.
Secondly, everyone should take occasional medical checks, old and young alike to manage
illnesses and diseases as well as impacts on daily life and behavior (WHO, 2017). Apart from
that, being in a position to use health related information to practice healthy living is important in
the management of health. On the contrary, low knowledge levels on healthy living is mostly
likely to lead to poorer health outcomes, health services, and low proper medication adherence.
In the management of aging and health issues, aged people with multiple health concerns always
tend to several medication regime that may increase their health risks (UNDESA, 2016).
This essay paper will therefore start with explaining the WHO Healthy Aging Model
while providing an overview of WHO research evidences on the aging determinants as described
by the model. In relation to the discussed model, the activity will roll out several programs,
strategies, and approaches all of which are targeted towards living healthy lives as far as aged
individuals are concerned. Afterwards, the paper shall discuss the manner in which aged care
services are organized in Australia alongside provision of analysis on how Australian health care
facilities are organized in line with the WHO Aging Model (Bateson, Et al., 2014, pg. 156).
Otherwise, this activity will also touch on the efficacy of using healthy programs in ensuring that
the needs of aged individuals are met. Other aspects of discussion shall include:

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- Highlighting government strategies that would be used make environments accessible
for those who are old
- Coming up with government programs that promote aged individuals’ contributions
towards practices and policies
- Coming up with programs that help individuals that are aged to feel loved and secure
emotionally or financially and;
- Develop strategies for supporting older individuals grow in the society
2. HEALTHY AGING MODEL
We can describe the WHO Healthy Aging Model as an action plan or a strategy that
expounds on and investigates concerns on global aging. Otherwise, other definitions can term the
same as a framework for coordinating health concerns globally. Such health issues are related to
the aged and require input from WHO member states, WHO itself, and the WHO Sustainable
Development Goals stakeholders (Aalbers, Et al., 2013, pg. 489). WHO Healthy Aging Model is
an important strategy since it ensures that health provision systems provide sustainable platforms
that ensure that aged individuals have access to healthcare and beyond. From the provided
support evidence, aged people are not given the expected level of healthcare and therefore, live
lifestyles that are disadvantaged and would experience health related risks in old age. The Model
on Healthy Aging devised by WHO has several objectives attached to it. Some of the outcomes
expected from the same are global and would be adopted country to country (WHO, 2017).
Primarily, the WHO Healthy Aging Model will ensure that the world is conducive
enough for everyone to live for long and healthily. However, this objective would be achieved
through a number of strategies. First, WHO Healthy Aging Model has devised an estimated five-
year span for its implementation to improve its functional capability. Second, WHO Healthy

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Aging Model has encouraged the formation of partnerships on healthy living for everyone to
commence what is recognized as a “Decade of Healthy Ageing”. This will be initiated come
2020 and run through to 2030 (Access Economics, 2018). On the issues of WHO Healthy Aging
Model’s key actions and functional capability, it intends to support national frameworks to
initiate programs and strategies that would promote healthy aging, help in creating national
capacities to develop and strengthen evidence-based policies, as well as help in combatting
ageism. Therefore, WHO Healthy Aging Model’s key concepts are aligned with proper health
care systems that meet the needs of aged individuals, create healthy aging friendly environments,
strengthen care that is long term as well, and lastly, improve measures of healthy aging (Jackson,
2016, pg. 271).
It is also important to consider WHO Healthy Aging Model’s functional ability in a
different dimension. Under the same, World Health Organization understand that their developed
model depends entirely on two major factors. One is individual intrinsic capacity and the other is
the existing relationship between physical and mental capabilities and environmental factors. As
noted in the preceding statement, individual intrinsic capacity entails the physical and mental
capacities of a person as well as relevant environmental factors (Irvine, Et al., 2013, pg. 19).
However, environmental factors include but not limited to services relating to social protection,
transport, etc., policies, and systems. Apart from that, it is important to consider WHO Healthy
Aging Model’s commitment to action strategy. According to this strategy, the model is charged
with ensuring that local health care provision systems and facilities are committed to achieving
the outlined goals of healthy aging. In addition, the commitment to action strategy is charged
with ensuring that national political and operational platforms are ready for multisectoral action.
In relation to the discussed strategies, WHO, through its Healthy Aging Model, recommend the