Well for Life

Page content: Overview | Relationship with other initiatives | Publications | Related websites

Overview and background

Well for Life has been operating in Victoria since 2003. Well for Life initiatives use health promoting principles and have focused on improving physical activity, nutrition and emotional wellbeing for older people who participate in Home and Community Care (HACC) services, live in public sector residential aged care services (PSRACS) and live in public housing.

The initial focus of the program was on physical activity and nutrition, however, in 2009, the department further developed Well for Life by including a focus on improving emotional wellbeing. This combined focus on physical activity, nutrition and emotional wellbeing supports the Health Department’s priority of promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing among older people.
The objectives of Well for Life are to:

a. HACC staff
b. Carers of older people involved in HACC services
c. PSRACS staff
d. Carers of residents of PSRACS
e. Staff working with older people living in public housing

to promote the health and wellbeing of older people with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and emotional wellbeing.

2. Engage management and staff support in developing organisational culture and initiatives that promote older people’s health and wellbeing.

3. Increase opportunities for health and active living within HACC services, PSRACS and public housing through funding to support increasing nutrition, physical activity and emotional wellbeing.

4. Support staff in HACC services, PSRACS and working with older people living in public housing by encouraging professional information exchange and linkages with government funded and private sector programs and services in the local community. For example: falls prevention programs; Lifescripts; Walk and Talk; strength training; gentle exercise; delivered meals.

5. Develop information around planning and implementing Well for Life that can be transferred to other agencies, communities and/or settings.

6. Engage management and staff support in embedding Well for Life health promoting principles in policy and practice to ensure sustainability beyond the funded period.

7. Support staff in HACC services, PSRACS and working with older people living in public housing in the practice of continuous improvement through regular monitoring and evaluation.

Relationship with other initiatives

There are a number of interrelated initiatives that focus on increasing health and wellbeing to enhance quality of care for older people attending PAGs or living in PSRACS or public housing.

• Active service model
• Count us in! Social inclusion for older people living in residential aged care initiative
• Primary Care Partnerships strategy.

Publications

There are a number of Well for Life publications to support improving nutrition, enhancing emotional wellbeing and increasing physical activity among older people. Some of these publications are resources that are more suitable to service providers whereas other publications are equally valuable to service providers and older people and their carers.

Related websites

The Better Health Channel also offers many important healthy living tips for older people including healthy ageing, health information and healthy recipes.

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