Wellness and Reablement build on people’s strengths and goals to promote greater independence and autonomy.

What is Wellness and Reablement?

Wellness is a philosophy that focuses on the strengths, abilities, and goals of individuals to encourage actions to promote a level of independence in activities of everyday living. Wellness informs a way of working with individuals receiving support from aged and community care organisations.

Like Wellness, Reablement aims to assist people to maximise their independence and autonomy through time-limited interventions that are targeted at a person’s specific goal to adapt to a functional loss or regain confidence and capacity to resume daily activities without the need for continued support.

Are you looking for ways to explain to clients and family members why short-term support through Reablement is important?

The A4 information leaflet below from KeepAble on ‘What is Reablement’ will assist you and your staff with the conversation. Staff can use the leaflet to talk through what reablement means with their clients and how it can help and then leave the information for clients, carers, and family to further their understanding.  

We have also developed some guidance notes specifically for front-line staff – Understanding the importance of “Wellness and Reablement” to help them build their knowledge and feel confident to have the conversation with the people they support. Click the images below to open the PDFs.

What is reablement leaflet
What is reablement leaflet page 2
Cover of the Guide to understanding wellness and reablement

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following community care organisations for their assistance in co-designing these resources and ensuring they meet the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds of their workforce and the people they support:

Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services Inc, Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia, ChungWah Association

What are good examples of Wellness and Reablement?

Research has shown that the sooner someone stops performing tasks for themselves, the faster they tend to lose their functional ability. The aim is to assist people to perform these daily activities independently for as long as possible, so they maintain the ability to maximise independence and autonomy.  Retaining physical and cognitive ability helps people to continue doing the things they enjoy for longer. 

Personal Perspectives

Read some more personal aspects of Wellness and Reablement. Click on the cards below to read more.
  • Elderly-couple-smiling-in-the-sunshine
    Personal story – Moving is good for us
    We all know moving more is good for us and the people we support. We know that we need to be more active but sometimes it can be difficult to get started. Sometimes it’s just about moving a bit more every day in whatever way works for each person. Take a moment to watch this great video about Sue and her determination to keep moving every day in a way that worked for her and has put her back on her feet. 
  • Support worker reviewing a clients support plan
    Small things can make a big difference
    An Aged Care Assessor went through some of the common everyday activities that Claire and her husband were managing in their homes such as showering and dressing. It was during this process that Claire and her husband realised that there were some simple things they could do using small items of equipment, that would make their lives easier.
  • Elderly man out walking in the city
    Getting out and about to reconnect
    After he stopped driving, Stan decided it was time to get some help to be able to reconnect with his family and friends using a mobile app and public transport. Read about his story here
Providing support that focuses on individual client goals and recognises the importance of client participation is fundamental to the CHSP

More articles like this

If you found this article interesting, please refer to the articles below which may also be of interest.
Elderly couple smiling outdoors
Why is Wellness and Reablement Important in Aged Care?
To understand why Wellness and Reablement are important, you first need to understand the science of ageing well, the facts about Healthy Ageing, and the impact of Ageism within Australian Society.
Assessor meeting client to discuss their plan
A Wellness and Reablement Approach
Having a Wellness & Reablement approach means that staff at every level within an organisation  view success through the lens of  the consumer who has been assisted to gain or regain skills and confidence to achieve their goals.
Support workers meeting
CHSP Annual Wellness and Reablement Reporting
The structure and questions of the 2020 Wellness and Reablement Report template will be the same as last year’s report. Providers can complete the 2020 Wellness and Reablement Report via the Citizen Space Portal

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