Positive Ageing and Fulfilment in Retirement Living Communities
Tracks
Chancellor 6
Enablement / Reablement
Implementation
Models of Care
Wellness / Well Being
| Thursday, November 14, 2024 |
| 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM |
Speaker
Prof Judy Lowthian
Head of Research and Principal Research Fellow
Bolton Clarke Research Institute
Positive Ageing and Fulfilment in Retirement Living Communities
Abstract
Retirement village communities present a unique opportunity for supporting and enabling positive ageing. However, the sector has traditionally focused on property management, without understanding the health and wellbeing of residents, or developing knowledge and skills of village managers in this area.
This presentation shares the retirement living wellbeing approach, a program of five inter-related components developed and implemented to enhance positive ageing opportunities in this cohort.
Central is a longitudinal biennial Health and Wellbeing survey, including validated loneliness and frailty scales, with results from two waves (2021, n=1230 & 2023, n=1530). This provided the impetus for developing a Health and Wellbeing Toolkit to support Village Managers to promote positive ageing and co-designing of solutions to meet their village’s specific needs. In addition, capacity-building sessions supported 7 champion Village Managers to co-design wellness opportunities with their residents. Results also drove targeted growth of the Be Healthy and Active Program, which provides 12 different free, practical sessions to help attendees get the most out of life. Over a 6-month period, 48 Sessions were delivered to 772 attendees across 20 villages. Finally, a single-site trial of a Village Hub model, designed to connect not only Retirement Living residents but older people across the region with services and activities that support wellbeing and community, reducing social isolation and loneliness.
As the retirement living industry turns its focus to providing care and support services, our wellbeing approach provides attendees fresh thinking about the opportunities to benefit not only residents, but the broader community.
This presentation shares the retirement living wellbeing approach, a program of five inter-related components developed and implemented to enhance positive ageing opportunities in this cohort.
Central is a longitudinal biennial Health and Wellbeing survey, including validated loneliness and frailty scales, with results from two waves (2021, n=1230 & 2023, n=1530). This provided the impetus for developing a Health and Wellbeing Toolkit to support Village Managers to promote positive ageing and co-designing of solutions to meet their village’s specific needs. In addition, capacity-building sessions supported 7 champion Village Managers to co-design wellness opportunities with their residents. Results also drove targeted growth of the Be Healthy and Active Program, which provides 12 different free, practical sessions to help attendees get the most out of life. Over a 6-month period, 48 Sessions were delivered to 772 attendees across 20 villages. Finally, a single-site trial of a Village Hub model, designed to connect not only Retirement Living residents but older people across the region with services and activities that support wellbeing and community, reducing social isolation and loneliness.
As the retirement living industry turns its focus to providing care and support services, our wellbeing approach provides attendees fresh thinking about the opportunities to benefit not only residents, but the broader community.
Biography
Judy leads a multidisciplinary national research team at Bolton Clarke, Australia’s largest not-for-profit aged and community care provider. She is an Adjunct Professor with University of Queensland's Faculty of Health and Associate Professor with Monash University's School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine. Judy transitioned to research following a career in rehabilitation and health services management. Expertise is in mixed methods including codesign, analysis of big data, pragmatic controlled trials, implementation and evaluation of new care models with a focus on person-centred experience, positive ageing, care transitions, mitigation of frailty, enablement, cognitive impairment and dementia, social prescribing and palliative care.
Ms Georgina Johnstone
Research Officer
Bolton Clarke Research Institute
Positive Ageing and Fulfilment in Retirement Living Communities
Biography
Georgina is a Research Officer with the Bolton Clarke Research Institute. She has a first-class Honours’ degree in Psychology (2015). She has conducted research in the gerontology, palliative and end-of-life spheres, in both community and acute healthcare sectors. Her work at Bolton Clarke is underpinned by a rigorous approach to research governance and methods, consumer engagement, and health & research literacy. Georgina has been involved in projects focused on social connection, palliative care, advance care planning and storytelling in aged care. She is also nurturing a growing interest in trauma-informed care as well as continuing to develop skills in analysing ‘big data’ utilising routinely collected health and care data.
Session Chair
Marguerite Bramble
Adjunct Assoc Professor
Charles Sturt University
