Well for 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.

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