Key messages
- Well for life is a resource toolkit to educate and support management and staff working with older people in a variety of settings. Its goal is to promote healthy ageing.
- The toolkit focuses on nutrition, physical activity and emotional wellbeing.
- Using Well for life resources, staff, organisations and Healthy Ageing Advisers in metropolitan and regional Victoria can support and promote opportunities for physical activity, nutrition and emotional wellbeing for older Victorians.
- In 2015-16, the Department of Health & Human Services will launch two redeveloped resources: a Well for life resource that develops knowledge and skills for staff in the aged care sector to use a healthy ageing approach in their work; and an information booklet that provides information and advice for older people to follow a healthy ageing approach to life.
Well for life toolkit
Well for life is a tool to promote healthy ageing. It is consistent with the approach of person-centered care, re-ablement and restorative care.
The toolkit is for all staff who work with older people, including educators, quality care staff, health promotion staff and therapy staff. It is also for anyone who directly cares for older people, such as nurses, personal care workers, activities coordinators and assistants.
The toolkit has four parts:
- emotional wellbeing for older people at home
- emotional wellbeing for residents of aged care facilities
- nutrition and physical activity for older people at home
- nutrition and physical activity for residents of aged care facilities.
Emotional wellbeing for older people at home
This part of the toolkit promotes Well for life goals with a focus on emotional wellbeing for older people living at home. It also covers older people living independently in private housing, assisted living and public housing.
It includes:
- practical guidelines for identifying barriers to people’s emotional wellbeing
- suggestions for how to recognise opportunities to encourage emotional wellbeing
- help sheets with practical strategies
- an education package.
Emotional wellbeing for residents of aged care facilities
This part of the toolkit promotes Well for life goals with a focus on emotional wellbeing for older people living in residential care. It gives management and staff a framework for developing their capacity to improve older people’s emotional wellbeing. It particularly focuses on identifying the barriers and challenges to people’s emotional wellbeing, and identifying actions to overcome them.
It includes:
- practical guidelines for identifying barriers to people’s emotional wellbeing
- suggestions for how to recognise opportunities to encourage emotional wellbeing
- help sheets with practical strategies
- an education package.
Nutrition and physical activity for older people at home
This part of the toolkit is for staff of primary health and community service organisations that provide care and services for older people living at home. It looks at nutrition and physical activity issues for older people at home (and their carers).
It includes:
- Guide to action: a facilitator’s guide to help staff lead a group process to identify continuous improvement opportunities in nutrition and physical activity for older people. The guide includes case studies, a good practice checklist, and an action plan template to record agreed actions.
- 19 help sheets with information and tips to inform discussion, strategies and action on physical activity and nutrition
- Training modules and case studies on physical activity and nutrition, to support quality improvement in organisational practice
- Information about resources and programs that may help staff improve physical activity and nutrition for older people living at home.
Nutrition and physical activity for residents of aged care facilities
This part of the toolkit supports residential aged care staff to increase nutrition and physical activity opportunities for older residents.
It includes:
- Working together for change: a discussion guide designed to help staff work through the process of solving relevant workplace problems
- Good practice checklist: a self-assessment tool for the facility to identify areas of nutrition and physical activity practice that could be improved
- 32 evidence-based help sheets, covering topics on nutrition, physical activity and other areas relevant to best practice
- Promoting independence at mealtimes (in-service package): a checklist, presentation resources and case studies designed to help staff develop assessment and management skills. An occupational therapist must conduct the training.
- Physical activity in aged care facilities (seminar package): presentation resources and case studies to guide staff through the research evidence on the benefits of physical activity.
In 2015-16, the department will launch two redeveloped resources:
- a new Well for life toolkit that develops knowledge and skills for staff in the aged care sector to use a healthy ageing approach in their work
- a Well for life information booklet that provides information and advice for older people to follow a healthy ageing approach to life.
Downloads
Well for life - improving emotional wellbeing for older people at home (individual chapters)
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Help sheet 1 - Nutritional risk screening and monitoring for older people at home
Help sheet 2 - The role of nutrition and the provision of food in group settings
Help sheet 3 - Designing a quality dining area
Help sheet 4 - Increasing variety at mealtimes
Help sheet 5 - Catering for cultural groups
Help sheet 6 - Food safety issues for group settings
Help sheet 7 - Nutrition related activities in group settings
Help sheet 8 - What constitutes physical activity?
Help sheet 9 - Key messages and benefits of physical activity
Help sheet 10 - Motivators for physical activity
Help sheet 11 - Barriers to physical activity
Help sheet 12 - Screening and assessing an individual’s physical activity needs
Help sheet 13 - Determining optimum levels of physical activity
Help sheet 14 - Accessing health professionals to address physical activity and nutrition needs
Help sheet 15 - Structured physical activity programs
Help sheet 16 - Incidental and leisure activity
Help sheet 17 - Increasing opportunities for walking
Help sheet 18 - Setting up a physical activity program for a group
Help sheet 19 - Physical activity for older people with medical conditions
Well for life - improving emotional wellbeing for older people living in residential aged care (individual chapters)
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Help sheet 1- Introduction to Well for life help sheets
Help sheet 2 - Food safety issues in residential care
Help sheet 3 - Quality dining room service
Help sheet 4 - Menu assessment
Help sheet 5 - Resident satisfaction with meals
Help sheet 6 - Conducting a resident meal satisfaction survey
Help sheet 7 - Appropriate meal sizes for residents
Help sheet 8 - Contracting catering services
Help sheet 9 - Promoting independence at mealtimes
Help sheet 10 - Special occasion catering - increasing variety at mealtimes
Help sheet 11 - Identifying and managing unintentional weight loss
Help sheet 12 - Dietary issues for residents with diabetes mellitis
Help sheet 13 - Catering for residents with swallowing problems - texture modified diets
Help sheet 14 - Drinking and fluids - maintaining hydration
Help sheet 15 - Catering for people from culturally diverse backgrounds
Help sheet 16 - What constitutes physical activity
Help sheet 17 - Physical activity and older people
Help sheet 18 - Motivators for physical activity
Help sheet 19 - Barriers to physical activity
Help sheet 20 - Formal physical activity programs
Help sheet 21 - Incidental and leisure activity
Help sheet 22 - Increasing opportunities for walking
Help sheet 23 - Assisted exercise
Help sheet 24 - Determining optimum levels of physical activity
Help sheet 25 - Volunteers in residential facilities
Help sheet 26 - Staff communication strategies
Help sheet 27 - Introducing change within residential facilities
Help sheet 28 - Workplace learning
Help sheet 29 - How staff benefit from Well for Life
Help sheet 30 - Involving residents' families, carers and friends
Reviewed 22 November 2021