How Allied Health Can Help Older People Stay Independent

For many older Australians, staying at home for as long as possible is important. But staying independent isn't just about having someone available to help with household tasks. Physical function plays a major role in how independently someone can move around, manage everyday activities and participate in their community. This is where allied health can play an important role.

Allied health professionals work alongside doctors, nurses and other health professionals to support people's health and function.

Depending on someone's needs, allied health may include professionals such as:

• Physiotherapists
• Exercise physiologists
• Dietitians
• Occupational therapists
• Speech pathologists
• Podiatrists

The right combination depends on the individual.

Ageing can bring changes in strength, balance, mobility, nutrition and physical capacity. Sometimes these changes happen gradually. 

Someone might notice that they are taking longer to get dressed, finding stairs harder, becoming less confident walking outside or needing more help with everyday tasks. These changes can be easy to dismiss as simply "getting older". But changes in function can be assessed and, in many cases, addressed.

Physiotherapy can help assess and treat problems affecting movement. For an older person, this may include working on strength, balance, walking, joint mobility, pain or recovery after illness or injury. The goal is to improve the person's ability to move and function in everyday life.

Exercise physiology focuses on using exercise to improve or maintain physical capacity. This can include strength, balance, cardiovascular fitness, mobility and functional movement. For older adults, maintaining these abilities can make a difference to everyday independence.

Nutrition is another important part of maintaining health and function as we age. A dietitian can provide individualised advice around nutrition, dietary requirements, food intake and managing nutrition-related health conditions. Nutrition and physical activity can also work together to support strength and overall physical capacity.

One of the most important things about maintaining independence is addressing changes in function early. If someone is starting to have difficulty with mobility, strength, balance or everyday activities, an assessment can help identify what is contributing to the change and what can be done about it. The earlier a problem is identified, the more opportunity there may be to work on it.

Good aged care should not simply do everything for an older person. Where possible, it should support the person to continue doing things for themselves. That might mean helping someone build enough strength to get out of a chair independently, improve their balance so they can walk more confidently, or maintain the physical capacity needed to continue participating in the community.

Allied health can be an important part of that approach.

Enable Fitness Centre provides allied health services for older adults with a focus on maintaining and improving functional capacity. Our team includes exercise physiologists, physiotherapists and dietitians who can work with older people according to their individual needs and goals.

For some people, that may mean improving mobility after a health setback. For others, it may mean maintaining strength and balance as they age. The focus is always on function: helping people stay strong, stay steady and stay independent.

Find out more about Enable's allied health services for ageing or contact our team to discuss your needs.