Health Literacy for the Elderly in Australia

This presentation discusses health literacy for the elderly in Australia, including its definition, identification, and development. It also explores the role of registered nurses in promoting health literacy within the elderly population.

Presentation - Health Literacy
for the Elderly in Australia
Student’s Name:
Student’s ID:

1
Definition and Identification of Health Literacy
Definition
 Health literacy is a capability for obtaining, reading, understanding and using healthcare
information
 It is used for making proper health-related decisions and following guidelines for treatment
 Health literacy consists of both the setting or context and skills
 It is an increasing concern for the healthcare professionals
Speaker Notes
Health literacy is a capability for obtaining, reading, understanding and using healthcare
information for making proper health-related decisions and following guidelines for treatment.
Health literacy consists of both the setting where the demands for health literacy are made, such
as healthcare facility and skills which are brought in that circumstance by the people. It is an
increasing, and continued concern for the healthcare professionals as health literacy is a leading
contributing aspect to healthcare disparities.
Continued…
Identification
 The chosen topic was health literacy for the elderly people in Australia
 Most of the older people in Australia are aged 65 or more than 65
 Most of them have very less knowledge of health literacy
 It is a major issue for the healthcare professionals to deliver better healthcare services to
them
 Less knowledge of health literacy is a risky factor for the poor health
Speaker Notes
The chosen topic was health literacy for the elderly people in Australia. Most of the older people
in Australia are aged 65 or more than 65 and they have very less knowledge of health literacy.
So, it is becoming a major issue for the healthcare professionals to deliver better healthcare
services to them. Less knowledge of health literacy is a risky factor for the poor health and could

2
impact the skills of the people for doing things such as healthcare systems, understanding the
medical instructions and seeking support from the healthcare professionals.
Overview of the Development of Health Literacy
 Most of the older people in Australia are high consumers of complementary medicines
 A health literacy program was developed for helping the elderly people to take an active part
in their healthcare
 It included a wide range of knowledge and skills about healthcare and health to make them
the health literate
Speaker Notes
There are almost 4 million elderly people currently in Australia, and most of the older people in
Australia are high consumers of complementary medicines. So, the health literacy program was
for helping the elderly people to take an active part in their healthcare for improving their health.
For making them the health literate, the program included a wide range of knowledge and skills
about healthcare and health like the skills for finding, understanding, interpreting and
communicating health information, seeking proper care and making vital healthcare decisions
regarding the use of complementary medicines.
Health Literacy Levels in the Group
 There was three levels of health literacy within our group
 Each level have one member in three different role
 The aim was to make the elderly people aware of the consumption of complementary
medicines
Speaker Notes
There was three levels of health literacy within our group, basic, communicative and critical
level, and each level have one member in three different roles. The member of the first level
played the part of the elderly person. The member of the third level played the role of the
healthcare provider. I played the role of the registered nurse in the second level. We aimed to
make elderly people aware of the consumption of complementary medicines.
Identification and Role of Registered Nurse in Health Literacy within the Group

3
 I played the role of the registered nurse in the second level
 I communicated to the elderly person about the concerns and issues connected with the
consumption of complementary medicines
Speaker Notes
I played the role of the registered nurse in the second level, and my part was to communicate to
the elderly person about the concerns and issues connected with the consumption of
complementary medicines.