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Reinvigorating Reablement

Tracks
.
Best practice
Enablement / Reablement
Future Directions
Implementation
Wellness / Well Being
Monday, November 11, 2024
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Speaker

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Dr Claudia Meyer
Senior Research Fellow
Bolton Clarke

Reinvigorating Reablement

Abstract

Service Providers have been grappling with the implementation of ‘Reablement, Re-enablement and reabling’ approaches for nearly a decade. Confusion with the current definition, roles and responsibilities and measuring outcomes has been broadly reported across the sector.

The strengthened aged care quality standards (the standards) include a new definition of reablement which is not reliant on time limited services, allied health or assessment processes. This offers a fresh opportunity for providers of Aged Care to review their Reablement approaches.

When people with less complex needs are first interacting with aged care services, reablement exist to improve a person’s independence, mobility, social connection and sense of wellbeing. However, future program guidelines will need to align to the standards and ensure that providers identify and act on those early opportunities for reablement.

This presentation will draw on the different experiences, points of view and new ideas from a collaborative group of policy makers, researchers and providers who have been meeting to discuss reablement for the past 3 years. We will present past challenges for implementation of reablement, provide examples of what is currently working in practice and examine risks and opportunities to embed reablement firmly within future policy.

This presentation will appeal to aged care policy makers, researchers and industry practitioners who want to challenge ageist attitudes and provide reablement opportunities for older Australians.

As a provocative talk, we will reinvigorate the Reablement conversation and question whether the new standards are enough to keep the focus on the benefits for older people.

Biography

With a 35-year background in district nursing, Kath has fulfilled many and varied roles across the organisation, including an 8-year secondment to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to lead the Active Service Model initiative across Victoria promoting independence and adaptive ageing practices. Kath has presented at National conferences. Her current role is about translating Aged Care policy into practice and includes the establishment and support of Bolton Clarke’s Consumer Advisory Bodies in Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Kath holds a Graduate Diploma in Ambulatory and Home Care nursing, a certificate in project management (Prince II methodology) and in 2021 completed the Health Literacy course with the Centre for Culture Ethnicity in Health. At the end of the day, what is most important to Kath is that all work with our clients and their families is done with empathy, purpose and meaning and has a positive impact. Melanie has worked in Community Aged Care for over 26 years, commencing her career in Victorian Local Government. Melanie has held a number of roles including managing teams of Aged & Disability Services, both Assessment Services and In-Home Support programs. During this time, a key focus was implementing the Active Service Model/Wellness & Reablement across a range of in-home supports. For the past 6 years, Melanie has been working in the Sector Development Team within the Grampians Region of Victoria, auspiced by Ballarat Community Health supporting Community Aged Care Providers to systematically implement Wellness & Reablement approaches and transition through the Aged Care reforms. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Rural Social Welfare and has completed a range of Change Management and Leadership courses. Melanie is passionate about building the capacity of providers to support individuals to age in place – living in the home and community of their choice.
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