Primary Healthcare for the Older Population in Australia

This paper critically discusses primary healthcare for the ageing population in Australia and the way healthcare resources are allocated to them using primary healthcare approach.

Running Head: PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN
AUSTRALIA
Primary Healthcare for the Older Population in Australia
Students Name
University Affiliation
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PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN AUSTRALIA 2
Primary Healthcare for the Older Population
Introduction
There has been a lot of debate around the issue of the aging population not only in
Australia but also in the entire globe. Specifically, the emphasis has been on the cohort of
individuals who were born after WWII. For the objective and purpose of this paper, sixty-five
years of age will be used to indicate the start of the older people in Australia. It should be noted
that older people are not a homogenous people. Thus, there is a significant difference in their
needs and health. As compared with any other age group, there exist internal variations and
subgroups such that the aging experience may vary for people depending on their geographic
area, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, health status, and age. For instance, a person aging
with a long-term disability like Down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy will have a whole variation
in the experience of aging than a person who is comparatively well and fit.
Moreover, people with different longstanding disabilities can experience premature aging
as well as need access to services before reaching sixty-five years of age (Bentley et al. 2015). It
should be noted that older women are considered as a different subgroup as they are likely to
stay alone, be at higher risk of being admitted to residential care, and be in higher need of local
or community-based healthcare. This paper will critically discuss primary healthcare for the
ageing population in Australia and the way healthcare resources are allocated to them using
primary healthcare approach.
Over the past years, the global population has continued on its significant shift from a
state of high rates of birth and rates of deaths to one featured by low deaths and birth rates (Luo
& Ferguson, 2017). At the center of this shift has been the development in the proportion as well

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN AUSTRALIA 3
as a number of the older people. Globally, the present revolution in demography is approximated
to continue to rise into the coming years. For instance, one in ten people is currently 65 years of
age or older. It is expected that by the year 2050, one in five people will be 65 years of age or
old. In Western Australia, the population is relatively young even though older individuals are
forming a rising proportion of the population of the state. In 1998, individuals who are aged
sixty-five years and over were about 11% of the total population (PR Newswire, 2018).
Moreover, older people in the country is also aging. For instance, in 1982, individuals
who are aged 81 years and above were about 14.4% of all those who were aged sixty-five years
and over (Lovink et al. 2018). To ensure that healthcare services are available to the people of
Australia, the government has set objectives to reduce the incidence of injury, preventable
disease, premature death, and injury, restoring the health of individuals suffering from acute
illness. The government also must improve the quality of life for individuals having chronic
disabilities and illness. To secure the highest possible improvement in the quality of life and
health for all Australians, the health department in the country acknowledges that all people
should have equity and fair opportunities to gain their wellbeing and health potential regardless
of gender, socioeconomic status, age, place of residence, ethnicity or race. The variety of needs
of people, communities, and groups also have to be comprehended.
Healthcare resources must be targeted and given where needs are highest, and the cost-
and clinical effectiveness of the healthcare services must be maximized to gain the highest
benefits from the existing resources. Health system in the country needs to economically as well
as clinically sustainable (Dudgeon, Bray, D’Costa & Walker, 2017). It should be noted that there
is a significant difference in the care and health needs of older people. An aging population can
be disabled, frail or well and they can suffer from chronic or acute illness or both; however, the

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN AUSTRALIA 4
there status of health is usually subject to change. Moreover, it is vital to which economic,
physical and social settings in which the aging population live determines their capacity and
ability to maintain and attain optimum wellbeing and health. Their relationship and social setting
determine the health of the aging population. Older people who have a greater degree of
involvement with other people and are economically secure are more likely to be engaged in the
support network and can live without depending on other people. Social contacts have been
identified to be vital to the health and wellbeing of older people and are also vital for health
promotion behaviors. It should be noted that sedentary aging people are likely to be socially
isolated than those who are participating in normal and regular physical activities. The level to
which older population take part in the community offers evidence of the independence,
involvement and social networks in reciprocal associations (Baldwin, Chenoweth & dela Rama,
2015). The ability to effectively contribute via gainful employment, either volunteerism or viable
workforce is a vital source of self-esteem to people. When older people are offered income
generation opportunities, their self-esteem will significantly increase.
As individuals age, they are likely to feel that they are not in a good state of health. Some
of the reasons older individuals can feel themselves not to be in a good state of health than
younger people can be that they are likely to develop some form of handicap or disability. Most
people in Australia live in the community and their own homes, thus, do not require to draw on
the formal healthcare services, even though as the there have been calls for support as the
number of the older people have increased (Bentley, Stirling, Robinson & Minstrell, 2016). In
recent years, the focus on the support services has shifted to the provision of care in the
community setting from residential care. The offering of formal services like those offered via
Home care community care does not negate the informal services offered by the carers.

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN AUSTRALIA 5
On the other hand, it strengthens the capacities of the caregivers. It should be noted that
in addition to Home and Care Community Care are more intensive types of community care
offered via the community care packages as well as the home and care community care-based
community options projects. The Home and Community Care Program targets frail older people
and those with disabilities. The aim of the program is offering an extensive and integrated range
of vital support services for the older people, aid the older people to be more independent in their
community and ta home, thus improving their quality of life and inhibiting their inappropriate
and ineffective to long term care facilities. Some of the most provided Home and Community
Care include center daycare, home help, center-based meals, home nursing, transport and home
help (Morris, 2016).
It is key to note that economic, social and health policies for the aging population vary
significantly among various nations. Evaluation of these differences via appropriate cross-
nations empirical research may aid in the formulation of appropriate policies aimed at promoting
the health status and the economic and social wellbeing of the aging population (Zhang, Wang,
Jiang & Wang, 2018). Some of the most vital policy concerns relevant to longevity and health
are the future pension viability, social and health insurance systems, both private and public as
well as the repercussions of these systems for investment and saving rates. How individuals
continue to work, save and pay taxes will greatly feature prominently in the implications of the
aging population (Gahan, Harbridge, Healy & Williams, 2017). It should be noted that reduced
use of toxic chemicals as well as enhanced exercise, paid and unpaid jobs, and organized leisure
activities are linked to enhanced function among the aging population. Thus, appropriate and
effective regional and national policies for health promotion among the aging population require
that vital deficit in these identified areas. Sample surveys are the appropriate ways of getting

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE FOR THE OLDER POPULATION IN AUSTRALIA 6
accurate data on issues like alcohol consumption and smoking, perceived abuse of the aging
population, levels of mobility, availability as well as utilization of leisure activities and social
interaction (McKenzie, S., (McLaughlin, Clark & Doi, 2015).
Moreover, the key to the Australian health department on health policy for the aging
population is the ability to offer community-based preventive care services which are delivered
in primary care. Such services included in the community-based preventive care include
screening and immunization for early as well as manageable conditions like breast and colon
cancer, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and depression. Plain and clear geriatric
management and screening programs are suggested for cognitive impairment, inappropriate use
of elderly, early cognitive disorder, falls, and physical disability. It is key to note that
coordination of clinical and public policies linked to promotion of health and prevention of
disease among different sectors involved in health of older people is vital if such policies are to
achieve their desired and projected positive effects on the health and wellbeing of the older
people (Temple & Williams, 2018).
Conclusion
The aging population aged 65 and above are the principal users of healthcare services not
only in Australia but also in other countries. The older population being an asset for the country
presents a challenge in the provision of healthcare services. Political, social and economic
policies which are being formulated in the country must consider the health needs of the older
people. The community-based preventive services which work in the context of primary care
must be improved to offer effective and appropriate care to the older people.

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