Improving Care for Older People

A person-centred approach to care

Register here: Improving Care for Older People Statewide Forum - 3 May 2013
 Improving care for older people: It’s everyone’s business - 2013 Statewide Forum

Improving care for older people: a policy for Health Services highlights the need to change the way healthcare services are delivered in response to addressing the needs of an increasingly ageing population.

This policy outlines how a person-centred approach to the care of older Victorians by health services can benefit the whole community. The aim is to ensure that older people are being cared for in the context for their individual situation, and to empower them and the people who care for them to be involved in decision-making.

A key emphasis of Improving Care for Older People is minimising functional decline in the provision of health care for older people in hospital settings.

The evidence-based resource, Best care for older people everywhere – The toolkit, has been developed to assist staff working in health services to identify and minimise the functional decline of older people in hospital, though many of the resources apply across the health care continuum.

Improving Care for Older People comprises a major component of Victoria's implementation of the Council of Australian Governments Long Stay Older Patients (COAG LSOP) initiative.