Discover insightful discussions as Professor Jane Farmer and PhD Candidate Jasmine Knox engage with aged care podcaster Nick Heng on social connection in residential aged care, revealing 'good practice' approaches supporting older people's wellbeing in Finland. Explore the series of videos below for bite-sized segments of this enriching conversation.
What does Social Isolation mean?
Social isolation can be a confusing term, as it is often conflated or used interchangeably with loneliness in academic literature and in public discourse.
In this video, Jane and Jasmine explain the difference between social isolation and loneliness and how this is experienced in the context of residential aged care.
Comparing aged care models in Finland vs Australia.
In this video, Jane and Jasmine compare and contrast residential aged-care models in Finland and Australia. Jas shares her firsthand observations from her recent visits to aged care facilities in Finland, shedding light on potential reform strategies for the Australian aged care sector. Gain a deeper understanding of the innovative approaches in Finland and how they could inspire positive changes in how aged care is delivered in Australia.
What can people do from a residential and community standpoint to address social isolation?
An outdated model of care that prioritises biomedical health persists within residential aged care in Australia. In this video, Jane and Jasmine discuss the importance of raising awareness about the benefits of social connection and person-centred care regarding social programming.
Connecting with others can be challenging, but activities, spaces, places, and people can help facilitate this process that could be introduced into residential care facilities.
Social Connection in aged care: Recommendations + Resources.
Social isolation and loneliness in residential aged care need to be better understood and prioritised as an issue in the sector.
In this video, Jane and Jasmine discuss how highlighting the research that shows the causal relationship between social isolation and loneliness and dementia, Alzheimer's and increased risk of morbidity could be utilised to advocate for increased government funding and key policy changes.
Social Connection 101 resource: https://apo.org.au/node/314766
