As a new year starts, it is always nice to set a theme for the year. Last year I set our motto to be “Health and Wellness”, and throughout the year I discussed different topics around the theme in my blogs and articles, trying to find the best exercise solutions for everyone to gain their best health.
We often say that the goal of exercise is to gain the best quality of life (QOL), therefore, let us take one step further and make the theme of the year about what we can achieve when we gain the best health and the best QOL, let’s talk about positive ageing.
Positive Ageing has been talked about for a few years already. Below are a few examples, you can find all original posts by clicking the image.
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care, wants to support everyone to live well in the best health.
As we age, we move from workforce to retirement, requiring planning for health, care and connection, as well as financial security – planning for positive ageing. With the purpose of staying independent and healthy longer.
A key part of positive ageing in healthy ageing, including physical activity and exercise, food and nutrition, mental health and preventative health. These steps allow us to stay independent and age at home as long as possible, whilst also staying connected to community with social connections, boosting memory, physical and mental health, preventing common health conditions, as well as reducing isolation and loneliness.
Australian government wants to support every Australian to live well, stay healthy and maintain their social connections by supporting the improvement the overall health and wellbeing via resources on services provided, and also ensuring older people in Australia can access aged care that meets their specific needs, where and when they need it, amongst others.
Many organisations have also taken on board the positive ageing mission.
Jo Boylan, CEO of Clayton Church Homes (CCH) in South Australia, has a clear vision for positive ageing. In her leadership Jo has a mission to reshape the industry – a passion and philosophy based on the thought that aged care is fundamentally about human rights.
Jo envisions aged care homes that go beyond traditional models, promote healthy ageing, and respect the dignity and individuality of each resident. Jo highlights the importance of investing in mobility and reablement programs that are crucial for improving the quality of life for older persons and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. Jo advocates for increased government and community support, and calls to action policymakers and communities to rethink their approach to aged care.
In a similar way Bolton Clarke, Australia’s largest independent not-for-profit aged care provider, is promoting Positive Ageing – living a full, happy and healthy life as we grow older.
Positive Ageing supports social connections and activities that bring joy, by bringing positivity to life through lifestyle programs, connection to community and finding innovative ways to enable wellbeing, with services and innovations that benefit our clients, residents and their families. Indeed, as discussed in an earlier blog, Bolton Clarke is a multi-award winning leader in care, recognised nationally and internationally for excellence in leading positive ageing innovations.
Another example of positivity is Hammond Care with a special Centre for Positive Ageing Centre.
This service is based on teams that work together with individuals to create the best ageing experience, despite any possible challenges. The services include a GP Clinic, Restorative Care team, Arts engagement as well as research team. Some of the key points for the service include staying healthy, finding support, being social, getting active and always putting “you” first, focusing on the individual and personal health and wellness needs.
All of these topics will be discussed by experts in the inaugural Positive Ageing conference to be held in Adelaide in May 2025.
The Positive Ageing Summit 2025 will gather clinicians, caregivers, policy influencers, and aged care providers, to Explore a holistic approach to better, positive ageing.
The summit has four focus points – reablement, mental health, nutrition, and advancements in business practices, delivered via keynote addresses, panel discussions and interactive workshops, offering an essential platform for professionals dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of older Australians.
This event promises to deliver a full package of information that will assist everyone to thrive under the new funding guidelines, giving every consumer a chance to quality of life at home.
The initial program has been released, with some key presented already named. With an impressive list, including Anita Hobson-Powell, Chief Allied Health Officer, Department of Health and Aged Care, Jo Boylan, CEO, Clayton Church Homes and Dr Jennie Hewitt , General Manager, Clinical Research & Reablement, Whiddon, among others, this will be a conference filled with knowledge and innovation!
The National Seniors Australia blog from some time ago gave a nice summary about Positive Ageing.
“Positive ageing is a concept that encourages us to embrace a natural process with enthusiasm and optimism. It’s about nurturing our physical and mental well-being, pursuing our passions, and finding fulfillment.”
The article lists some key points and concepts to pay attention to: Maintain physical health, Cultivate mental well-being, Stay connected, Pursue passions and hobbies, Embrace lifelong learning, Give back, Accept change, Celebrate achievements. What a great list!
All these articles mention one of more of the following: physical health, exercise, active ageing, reablement, health and wellness, mobility. We know that appropriate exercise is the key to better ageing. A new article, published online on the first of January 2025, titled “Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR)” (M Izquierdo et al., The Journal of nutrition, health and aging, 2025, 100401,ISSN 1279-7707) provides the perfect summary for healthy longevity, or as we have called it previously, Healthspan.
Exercise, and its different modalities, has benefits for so many different areas of health, summarised beautifully in figure one. Indeed, it can be considered the magic pill that can be used to prevent and manage of number of illnesses, when prescribed appropriately.
As concluded by the authors:
- Insufficient PA and sedentary behaviours are potent risk factors for a range of age-related health issues, including all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, obesity, sarcopenia, frailty, and disability, as well as other chronic illnesses.
- Regular physical activity and structured exercise can help counteract age-related declines in physical, cognitive, and psychological health, extending health span and improving quality of life.
- Engaging in physical activity and exercise can improve physical function and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases and premature mortality, including cause-specific mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory tract diseases.
These figures are just two of the many great images in this article, making this text a perfect summary suitable for everyone to take a look, and to share when we have a chance to talk to wider audiences. I will definitely revisit this article and discuss it in detail in my future blogs!
Let’s make this a great, positive year, where we all reach a better health and spend time with our friends and loved ones.
We have many exciting events ahead, with many opportunities to catch up and talk more about the ways to reach our best health. It is great to start the new year with this mission!
Best wishes,
Dr Tuire Karaharju-Huisman
Physiotherapist, Accredited Exercise Physiologist (ESSAM), PhD (Biomechanics)
Research Lead, Area Account Manager (Vic, Tas, SA, NT)
