Healthy Aging Determinants: Programs and Strategies for Aged Care

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of healthy aging determinants, focusing on programs, approaches, and strategies to support aged communities. It highlights the WHO Healthy Aging Model and its key actions, including the development of national frameworks, strengthening national capacities, and combating ageism. The essay then delves into the organization of aged care services in Australia, emphasizing the Intrinsic Care Pathways (ICP) model and its alignment with the WHO model to ensure appropriate and helpful services for the elderly. Furthermore, the essay discusses the changes in aged care services in Australia, driven by the adoption of the ICP framework, increased worker support, clinical efficiency, and consumer-centric funding arrangements. It also touches on the role of technology in driving costs down and improving information gathering and accommodation provision within the aged care sector. The analysis concludes by underscoring the importance of consumer-centered approaches and the need for continuous development in patient and clinical care.

Running head: SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 1
Supporting Aged Communities
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission

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1. INTRODUCTION
When one gets old, his or her well-being and health is likely to deteriorate significantly.
It therefore means that older individuals are more prone to multiple health conditions compared
to younger people. It is therefore, the responsibility of everyone to ensure that his or her well-
being and health is managed. Apart from that, people have the ability to manage disease and
illness impacts on behaviours and daily life (Holt-Lunstad, Smith & Layton, 2013). Being able to
comprehend and use health related information to carry out a healthy living pattern is vital in
health management. Otherwise, low health literacy is likely to result in poorer use of health
services, health outcomes, and reduced adherence to proper use of medication. In relation to
health management issues and aging, older individuals with multiple diseases and illnesses will
have several medications thus, increasing their risks to adverse effects (Jackson, 2016, pg. 266).
This essay paper will therefore, provide an overview of the existing research evidences
on healthy ageing determinants. Herein, various programs, approaches, and strategies will be
highlighted and of which are targeted towards healthy ageing. Most of the programs discussed in
this activity are multidisciplinary and multifactorial programs that employ combined strategies to
achieve healthy ageing (Holt-Lunstad, Smith & Layton, 2013). The activity then discusses the
need to employ aging programs with a theoretical base to address the most recognized risk and
protective factors attached to healthy aging. Afterwards, the employment of approaches that are
evidence-based would ensure that the study’s objectives, aims, and goals relating to healthy
ageing are underpinned. Otherwise, the approaches identified in this activity alongside the
identified evidence-based programs or any other program discussed herein on sustainability and
accessibility would then be evaluated and provide response to the spotted study gaps (Irvine, Et
al., 2013).

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2. HEALTHY AGING MODEL
The WHO Healthy Aging Model is but a strategy or an action plan that touches on global
heathy aging concerns. It can also be considered as a framework for global coordination of health
issues for the aged and of which require the contribution of WHO, WHO member states, and
collaborators of the WHO Sustainable Development Goals (WHO, 2017). The strategy is vital
because it ensures that people are given the platform to live healthy even beyond old ages.
According to the model’s supporting evidence, aged individuals are not experiencing better
health and thus, individuals with disadvantaged health lifestyles are likely to experience risks of
poor health in their old age. The WHO Healthy Aging Model strives to achieve a number of
global outcomes. First, the model is charged with introducing a global village in which everyone
lives healthily and long enough. To achieve that particular objective, the model has estimated a
five-year period in which the existing strategies would be implemented to improve the model’s
functional ability. Second, the model will establish healthy living partnerships to provide a
“Decade of Healthy Ageing” by 2020 to 2030 (Inzitari, Et al., 2014, pg. 601).
Some of its functional ability and key actions include coming up with national
frameworks that would promote healthy living and aging country by country, having national
capacities strengthened come up with policies that are evidence-based, and combatting ageism.
Otherwise, key concepts of this model include aligning health systems to meet aged people’s
needs, developing environments that are aged friendly, strengthening long term care, as well as
improving healthy aging measures, monetarization and research (Dow & Joosten, 2015, pg. 854).
Otherwise, when talking of the model’s functional ability, WHO recognizes the fact that
the aging model depends entirely on the intrinsic capacity of an individual; which is one’s mental
and physical capacities, environmental factors that are relevant, as well as the interaction

SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 4
between the two named factors. In this case, environmental factors would include policies,
services in line with social protection, transport, etc. and systems (Dow, Et al., 2013, pg. 49). On
commitment to action, having the model fostered in local settings require able leadership and
overall commitment. The model would also ensure that the aspect of commitment entails
ensuring that operational and political platforms are proper for multisectoral action. Otherwise,
there is the need for collaboration between stakeholders such as health service providers (Child,
Et al., 2013, pg. 3). Under the aspect of health systems alignment, aging individuals tend to have
complex and chronic health concerns. Therefore, the model is charged with transforming the
manner that such health systems are developed. Otherwise, this sector is keen on making health
integrated services affordable in every country for aged individuals to be able to afford the same.
In such a context, this model segment advocates for fundamental changes when it comes to
provision of clinical services to the aged and general care delivery within the social and health
sectors (Dow, Et al., 2017).
2.1. Key Areas Focused by the WHO Healthy Aging Model
The WHO Healthy Aging Model focuses on providing appropriate care provision
responses towards consumer driven, sustainable and market-based aged care system that aged
individuals require to achieve sustainable care worldwide (WHO, 2017). Therefore, as
mentioned before, some of its functional ability and key actions include coming up with national
frameworks that would promote healthy living and aging country by country, having national
capacities strengthened come up with policies that are evidence-based and combatting ageism.
On the same note, key concepts of this model include aligning health systems to meet aged
people’s needs, developing environments that are aged friendly, strengthening long term care, as

SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 5
well as improving healthy aging measures, monetarization and research (Aalbers, Baars &
Rikkert, 2013, pg. 490).
3. ORGANIZATION OF AGED CARE SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA
As identified in the earlier section, the development and employment of WHO Healthy
Aging Model is crucial in ensuring that care providers monitor old, disabled, and frail
individuals. Therefore, the Australian health sector introduced ICP Models (Intrinsic Care
Pathways), which are in line with the provisions of the WHO Healthy Aging Model to ensure
that care providers are better off finding appropriate processes and ensuring that right, helpful
services are provided to the old. Provision of care would depend on the profile of their needs as
well as medical expectations (Child, Et al., 2013, pg. 6). The application of ICPs in care
provision for the aged, frail individuals is a demonstration of the fact that the provision of
evidence-based practices, which is outlined in the WHO Healthy Aging Model, is the most basic
practice for effective and safe clinical care and general care provision for aged individuals in the
country. Towards the achievement of this activity’s study objectives, ICP model is considered a
useful program that follows the objectives and systemization of evidence base practices
recommended by WHO Healthy Aging Model. The program does not focus on the complex,
autonomy-related concerns but provide protocols and guidelines for particular health conditions
for the older people. Such guidelines are in terms of incontinence, nutrition, and end-of-life care
(Dow, Et al., 2016).
In relation to care provision for older individuals, most healthcare facilities find it
difficult to account for the practices that cover provided services in the community and translate
the evidence into real outcomes for the local structures. ICPs are therefore, required to be
remotely placed for daily practices. In general, ICPs are focused on uniting the care provision

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stakeholders thus, enhancing coordination and communication. However, the achievement of
WHO Healthy Aging Model’s objectives depends on whether the stakeholders perform their
roles concerning interdisciplinary task adherence (Aalbers, Baars & Rikkert, 2013, pg. 491). As
recommended by several Australian Institutes of Medicine, the processes of care provision ought
to be done around the needs of clients. As a result, ICP program employs five pathway
production levels making it possible to carry out evidence-based practices and ensuring that the
model adapts to organizational features. The approach applied in this case helps in creating
services that meet the circumstances of clients as well as their needs instead of service planning
because of client availability. Though the ICP programs are not much employed in other
countries, Australia enjoys a couple of benefits that come with this model (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 2015).
4. CHANGES IN AGED CARE SERVICES AUSTRALIA
Through time, the Australian healthcare provision segment has adopted several programs
to enhance its operations. However, none of such programs has been efficient ICP framework.
By definition, the ICP framework is a structured multidisciplinary plan for care provision with
detailed steps regarding care for patient with particular health concerns. As mentioned before,
the model was proposed as a means of encouraging the implementation of national WHO
Healthy Aging Model guidelines on care for the aged in Australia as well as subsequent
application of such guidelines to clinical practice. The model is also used to improve abstraction
and systematic collection of clinical data towards the promotion of healthy living and for
auditing practices. Several initiatives and frameworks have been introduced with time to improve
clinical effectiveness and care for older patients. However, most of them have shown a number
of shortcomings particularly on their clinical audit and guidelines relating to the WHO Healthy

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Aging Model. Healthcare facilities who used previous frameworks have otherwise, expressed
concerns on the level of commitment that come with employing such frameworks. With the
introduction of ICPs such concerns have been resolved by ensuring that disabled and frail
community-dwelling individuals, old and young are followed-up. ICP framework is currently an
international WHO Healthy Aging Model framework since it has been able to provide
appropriate responses to patient safety, soaring care costs, and variability in care concerns
(Access Economics, 2018).
Apart from the deployment of ICPs, the government employs other initiatives such as
care subsidies provision in care homes in the forms of increased worker support and clinical
efficiency. Changes have altogether, been driven by alteration of consumer preferences to
consumer-centric and market-based funding arrangements within the framework of community
service provision (Access Economics, 2017). In addition, the aged care provision sector has also
shifted from one that provides institutional response to one that provides care from not only one
that provides institutional response to one that provides care for the aged as well as any other
person who needs such care. The applied model also ensures that future care provision will
ensure that facilities charged with such tasks provide care for the frailest individuals and those
who direly need medical attention or intensive support (Adler & Rottunda, 2016, pg. 231).
Since the Australian health care provision sector changed its framework to ICP, the
government has been able to reorganize and repurpose care provisions to meet the needs of aged
individuals. Alternatively, the government has also adopted resort-styles for care and
accommodation provision for them who seek high-end supportive environments to be able to
access the same. Some of the activities that triggered changes in this sector include the 2011
Productivity Commission report of Australia (Batra, Et al., 2013, pg. 1070). This report

SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 8
encouraged the occurrence of a number of reforms that would ensure that the consumers of aged
care as well as the providers of such services have a platform on which they can debate the kind
of new responses likely to be offered to older individuals within an aged care system that is
consumer centered. By then, the packages for individual aged care were costly particularly when
they had to be delivered in homes. As a result, technology was considered as the only factor that
would drive costs from components of service delivery that are labour intensive. The current care
provision systems thus, highly depend on technology to determine the manner in which
information is gathered to how accommodation is provided (Bateson, Et al., 2014, pg. 153).
Previously, community and home care services required much labour force with
advanced patient and clinical care requiring continuous development skills for the aged. Since
the provision of care has changed with advances in technology, many challenges have resulted.
For instance, the workforce would be required to be well conversant with the technological
advances as well as acquire the skills to meet such kind of changes (Batra, Et al., 2013, pg.
1077). Currently, the aged care sector of Australia has about 400,000 workers having recorded a
growth of approximately 35% within a span of five years. On the contrary, more that 61% of
Australian residential facilities still claim shortage of skills on care provision in relation to the
total number of care providers. The issue of shortages of skilled personnel in this sector is still a
work on progress since there are a number of factors in play. Finally yet importantly, the current
trend portrays the fact that there is likely to be an increase in contributions of consumers in terms
of paying for the provided services thereby ensuring the sector’s viability. One certain thing is
that the response of consumers will align with demands for better products (Chen & Wu, 2015,
pg. 17).
5. CONCLUSION

SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 9
As discussed before on issues associated with WHO Healthy Aging Model, it was quite
clear that older individuals are more prone to multiple health conditions compared to younger
people. In such a case, it is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that his or her well-being and
health is managed. Apart from that, people have the ability to manage disease and illness impacts
on behaviours and daily life. Being able to comprehend and use health related information to
carry out a healthy living pattern is vital in health management. In relation to health management
issues and aging, older individuals with multiple diseases and illnesses will have several
medications thus, increasing their risks to adverse effects (Chen & Wu, 2015, pg. 16). Otherwise,
this activity has provided an overview of the existing research evidences on WHO Healthy
Aging Model determinants as well as related frameworks employed in Australia and other
nations. Apart from that, the activity has also discussed various approaches, strategies, and
programs all of which are important in meeting WHO Healthy Aging Model requirements. IPCs
as programs that are discussed in this activity are multidisciplinary and multifactorial and
employ combined strategies to achieve healthy ageing. Finally yet importantly, the approaches
identified in this activity alongside the identified evidence-based ICP program herein on
sustainability, accessibility have been evaluated, and responses provide to the spotted study gaps
(Chevalier, Et al., 2016).

SUPPORTING AGED COMMUNITIES 10
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