The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention
This article describes the second stage of a three- stage pilot research project to establish and evaluate a Healthy Ageing Unit, in a private hospital in Western Australia, based on a multi-disciplinary model of transitional rehabilitation for the elderly acute patient. The objective of the second...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association
2005
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| Online Access: | http://www.arna.com.au http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47697 |
| _version_ | 1848757905235378176 |
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| author | Michael, Rene Wheeler, B. Wichmann, Helen Horner, Barbara Downie, Jill |
| author_facet | Michael, Rene Wheeler, B. Wichmann, Helen Horner, Barbara Downie, Jill |
| author_sort | Michael, Rene |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This article describes the second stage of a three- stage pilot research project to establish and evaluate a Healthy Ageing Unit, in a private hospital in Western Australia, based on a multi-disciplinary model of transitional rehabilitation for the elderly acute patient. The objective of the second stage and thus this study was to compare clinical outcomes of patients admitted to the Unit to those on a conventional post-acute care ward. The clinical outcomes included length of stay, patient functional status, confidence and emotional state. One hundred and sixty-eight inpatients participated in the study. One hundred and thirty-five (80.4%) patients were transferred to the Unit and formed the intervention group and 33 (19.6%) patients receiving conventional care formed the control group. Results analysed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric statistics revealed that the Healthy Ageing Unit had a positive impact on the set of apnori determined patient outcomes. Moreover, the staffing model adopted, where enrolled nurses trained as therapy assistants provided the majority of care under the direction of clinical registered nurses, supported good use of beds and improved labour costs per patient day. In addition, the Healthy Ageing Unit was seen to raise the profile of care of the older person within the health care organisation, as well as providing staff with an opportunity to develop alternative nursing roles that were more closely aligned with the humanistic approach to practice. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:35:31Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-47697 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:35:31Z |
| publishDate | 2005 |
| publisher | Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-476972017-01-30T15:35:04Z The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention Michael, Rene Wheeler, B. Wichmann, Helen Horner, Barbara Downie, Jill healthy ageing multidisciplinary intermediate care therapeutic nursing transitional rehabilitation This article describes the second stage of a three- stage pilot research project to establish and evaluate a Healthy Ageing Unit, in a private hospital in Western Australia, based on a multi-disciplinary model of transitional rehabilitation for the elderly acute patient. The objective of the second stage and thus this study was to compare clinical outcomes of patients admitted to the Unit to those on a conventional post-acute care ward. The clinical outcomes included length of stay, patient functional status, confidence and emotional state. One hundred and sixty-eight inpatients participated in the study. One hundred and thirty-five (80.4%) patients were transferred to the Unit and formed the intervention group and 33 (19.6%) patients receiving conventional care formed the control group. Results analysed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric statistics revealed that the Healthy Ageing Unit had a positive impact on the set of apnori determined patient outcomes. Moreover, the staffing model adopted, where enrolled nurses trained as therapy assistants provided the majority of care under the direction of clinical registered nurses, supported good use of beds and improved labour costs per patient day. In addition, the Healthy Ageing Unit was seen to raise the profile of care of the older person within the health care organisation, as well as providing staff with an opportunity to develop alternative nursing roles that were more closely aligned with the humanistic approach to practice. 2005 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47697 http://www.arna.com.au Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association fulltext |
| spellingShingle | healthy ageing multidisciplinary intermediate care therapeutic nursing transitional rehabilitation Michael, Rene Wheeler, B. Wichmann, Helen Horner, Barbara Downie, Jill The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title | The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title_full | The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title_fullStr | The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title_short | The Healthy Ageing Unit: A comparative controlled intervention |
| title_sort | healthy ageing unit: a comparative controlled intervention |
| topic | healthy ageing multidisciplinary intermediate care therapeutic nursing transitional rehabilitation |
| url | http://www.arna.com.au http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47697 |