As the Aged care reform is underway in Australia, there seems to be a sense of uncertainty on what the role of allied health may be after the funding tool transition from ACFI to AN-ACC. Indeed, there are concerns about a lack of direct funding for rehabilitation and reablement services. However, the new model offers a fantastic opportunity to deliver quality, evidence-based programs that match the outcome standards recommended by the Australian Aged Care Royal Commission. Despite the confusion and concern about the transition period, there is a great potential for Allied Health staff to finally use their training and expertise to deliver best practice care.
Best practice evidence shows that exercise works for: falls prevention; restoration and reablement; including for those with cognitive impairment, responding to all key recommendations from the Australian Aged Care Royal Commission. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of exercise has been clearly verified by the Sunbeam study showing that the implementation of the structured strength and balance program can result in a cost saving of up to $670 per fall, meaning an estimated saving of $120 million for Australian healthcare economy for the first year due to the short- and long-term benefits.
Dr Jennie Hewitt is a practicing physiotherapist, educator, and academic researcher with a passion for delivering best practice and leading research that informs health care policy. She was awarded the Aged and Community Services Australia, National Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Commendation for Better Practice, from the Aged Care Quality Agency, for her work on the Sunbeam Program for the prevention of falls in residential care. In 2019 she won the Morley Award for the paper most likely to influence policy and practice from the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Jennie’s work has been used successfully to advocate for Australian Aged Care Funding Reform. She was invited to give evidence as an expert witness for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, in 2020, on the role of allied health in residential and community aged care. Her evidence was used to form new Medicare item numbers for allied health service provision, and federal funding for allied health group exercise sessions.
