October means the beginning of spring, the start of the last quarter of the year, and the time for ACCPA National conference. This conference is the place where Aged and Community Care Services are discussed, always delievering presentations on best practices and conversations that lead to improved services in all sectors.
This year’s theme ”Age of Excellence: Inspire, Innovate, Impact” promises discussions on aged care services that are driven by innovative practices and collective learning that will lead to world-class care for older Australians.
It has been six years since the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established, with the purpose of investigating the quality of aged care services in Australia, to find out if the services provided were meeting the needs of the community, and how they could be improved in the future.
The final report was published in March 2021, and it can be said that it has not been smooth sailing, rather the goalposts have been moved many times. On the 12th of September Australian Government released a bipartisan agreement that promised a a $5.6 billion package of aged care reform, mainly focusing on providing services for people to age at home. This new agreement will most likely be a focus point of the conference.
ACCPA recently published their Spring edition of “Aged Care Today” also including my Health and Wellness article, this time discussing Quality of Life and how that relates to our healthspan and Strengthspan. You can access this article here.
New research articles and editorials are doing the best in highlighting the importance of exercise in maintaining the best health.
Since the year started with the editorial in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics (2024 Feb;117:105275) discussing the “The rising tsunami of poor muscle health and sarcopenia in Asia-Pacific: Time for focused attention and targeted interventions”, reflecting the lack of care and understanding for ageing related muscle loss, we now are emphasizing the role of lifelong strength in leading us towards our best health. Indeed a recent editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine added a wonderful new definition, Strengthspan (Faigenbaum AD et al. BJSM 58:758-760, 2024).
Many specialists and providers will be at ACCPA and will be happy to start the conversation on the benefits of strength training. You can find us at booth #44, with many providers around us. You can also read more about the topic in my previous blog post.
We hope to see you all in Adelaide in a few weeks!
Best wishes,
Dr Tuire Karaharju-Huisman
Physiotherapist, Accredited Exercise Physiologist (ESSAM), PhD (Biomechanics)
Research Lead, Area Account Manager (Vic, Tas, SA, NT)
