International Day of Older Persons 2023

On International Day of Older Persons (1 October 2023), OTA would like to recognise the OTs working with older people across a range of settings, delivering interventions that support a positive ageing experience.

With a rapidly ageing population, the demand for occupational therapy services is expected to also rise. Globally, the number of older people (aged 65 and over) tripled from 260 million in 1980 to 761 million in 2021. It is expected these figures will continue to grow such that the global proportion of older people is expected to be around 17% by 2050. By 2066, older people are predicted to be between 21% and 23% of the total Australian population.

This growing ageing population will also see a larger proportion of older people living with complex health needs and a diverse range of functional capacities. With this comes a greater need for a broad range of clinical services. Occupational therapists are unlike any other allied health professional in aged care:

• We work to maintain participation in the occupations of everyday life, take a holistic approach to functional performance and actively promote positive ageing and quality of life.
• We support older Australians in their management of a wide variety of disabilities resulting from disease, injury and age-related changes and actively work to prevent functional decline.
• We acknowledge the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups of older Australians and deliver culturally sensitive and appropriate services.
• We support multi-disciplinary collaboration and recognise the valuable outcomes achieved when supported by the expertise of our professional peers.
• We actively seek to create, and deliver, evidence-based best practice interventions.
• We hold specialist knowledge and skills to address the needs of older Australians including dementia, functional mobility, pressure management, cognitive decline, mental health, driving assessment, specialist equipment prescription, home modifications, etc.
• We align closely with the Aged Care Quality Standards and Quality Indicators in our clinical and professional practice and ensure high quality aged care is achieved across all settings.
   

At this time of significant aged care reform, OTA is committed to keeping you updated on the changes across the aged care landscape and provide information on our reform engagement and advocacy. You can find this information by visiting our Aged Care Advocacy page. We welcome you to share your thoughts about the aged care system and reforms via the Contact Us button on the page.

Once again, thank you to those dedicated OTs who support our older population – we see you and recognise your invaluable efforts.