Journal article
Ecological aging: The settings approach in aged living and care accommodation
EcoHealth, Vol.5, pp.196-204
2008
PMID: 18787921
Abstract
As the proportion of older people increases within populations, financial demands related to the cost of health service delivery threaten global stability. This population trend challenges the traditional approach to health service delivery to older populations. This article presents the Australian context as a case study to argue that the application of a health promoting settings approach to aged care may lead to improved well-being for older people to the extent that the periods of chronic morbidity often associated with aging can be compressed into an ever shorter period of time. Promoting an ecological perspective to aged care suggests that there is no need to manage older people in isolation, as is common practice, but as integral to the way society lives, works, and plays. The article maps parallels between characteristics of health promoting settings such as Health Promoting Schools and the aged living and care industry, arguing that the setting encompassing services for the elderly is a prime location for the establishment of a new health promotion setting. Supporting life opportunities for our aged is central to such an approach. More broadly, an ecological approach orients us toward the connection between environment and health, and encourages increased attention and action within the aged living and care sector on reducing environmental impacts of this growing population. As such, the application of this approach to the aged living and care sector has the potential to reduce the threat that a dependant older population has on global sustainability.
Details
- Title
- Ecological aging: The settings approach in aged living and care accommodation
- Authors
- Neil Harris (Author) - Griffith UniversityJohn Grootjans (Corresponding Author) - University of SydneyKathryn Wenham (Author) - Griffith University
- Publication details
- EcoHealth, Vol.5, pp.196-204
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10393-008-0176-y
- ISSN
- 1612-9210
- PMID
- 18787921
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Public Health
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99971497202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
12 Record Views
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Ecology
- Environmental Sciences
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Source: InCites