Age in place and accessibility to palliative services
A blog post written by Dr Deborah van Gaans, Research Associate, CareSearch, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University
Australia’s policy of 'age in place', is aimed at maintaining older people in the community for as long as possible, whilst reducing morbidity, hospitalisations and admission to aged care services. The current trend to “age in place”, is growing in momentum, with the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) revealing that between 78% and 81% of older Australians aged over 55 (depending on age cohort) want to live in their own home as they age. [1] This preference to “age in place” is due to the suitability of the dwelling, proximity to family and friends, shopping, transport and health services, and familiarity with the local community and neighbourhood. [2]
While many Australian’s are embracing 'age in place', the rapidly ageing Australian populations longevity is not being accompanied by good health. Significant increases in chronic disease within Australia, reveal that just under half (47.3%) of Australians had one or more chronic conditions in 2017-18, which is an increase from 2007-08 when two-fifths (42.2%) of people had one or more chronic conditions. [3] The impact of chronic disease becomes more significant given Australia’s rapidly increasing ageing population and the known prevalence of chronic conditions increasing with age. This has challenged the ability of current health services to maintain health and wellbeing, manage serious and continuing illness and provide support for older people with frailty and/or disability. It has created a need for a coherent and focused response that spans multiple sectors, stakeholders and geographies.
'Age in place' is changing how people access health services, with services such as palliative care being delivered not only in acute hospital settings but now more broadly, within primary care. This palliative care approach within the community does not rely exclusively on expert palliative care services to address the growing care needs of people with life-limiting conditions, but any health care professional with expertise to meet the needs of the patient. This palliative care approach addresses a person’s psychological, spiritual, social, emotional, and cultural needs, and views families as partners in health care provision. Therefore, with a palliative care person-centred approach within the primary health setting the 'fit' between the population and health services is important. From my previous research, analysing the relationships between population and health services, to 'age in place' it is important to consider, the home the older person resides in, the community the person interacts within and the services and support that are available to them. Therefore, understanding the relationship between service providers and the population that they serve will be necessary to provide quality of life for the 'age in place' population. This has led to the need for robust data and information to promote best practice in palliative care within the community. This need for evidence-based information has led to the development of a new dedicated hub within CareSearch. I’m excited to be contributing to the primary care information hub, which will be a valuable resource for health professionals and the community.
References
- James A, Rowley S, Stone W, Parkinson S, Spinney A, Reynolds M. Older Australians and The Housing Aspirations Gap. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited. 2019 Aug; AHURI Final Report No. 317. doi:10.18408/ahuri-8117301
- Judd B, Olsberg D, Quinn J, Groenhart L, Demirbilek O. Dwelling, land and neighbourhood use by older home owners. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited. 2010 Mar; AHURI Final Report No. 144.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey: First results [Internet]. Canberra ACT: ABS; 2018 [updated 2018 Dec 12; cited 2020 Dec 1].
Dr Deborah van Gaans, Research Associate, CareSearch, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University