Evaluation of The Live Well Intervention: Promoting health behaviour change in older people living in South Western Sydney

Evaluation of The Live Well intervention which seeks to improve the health, wellbeing and resilience of older people/patients aged 65 and over living in South Western Sydney through goal setting interventions.

Local Health District

South Western Sydney Local Health District

Primary Health Network

South Western Sydney Primary Health Network

Hub

CPHCE

Collaborating Organisations

• Older People’s Mental Health (OPMH) Service, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) 
• South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN)

Key Funders

SWSLHD and SWSPHN

Project Type

Current project

Chief Investigators

• Dr Carmelo Aquilina, Service Director, Older People’s Mental Health (OPMH) Service, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) 
• Ruth Ferrington, Clinical Coordinator, OPMH Service, SWSLHD
• Meg Thomas, Clinical Coordinator; OPMH Service, SWSLHD
• Lachlan Best, Live Well Project Worker,  OPMH Service, SWSLHD
• Rebecca Abrahams, Project worker, OPMH Service, SWSLHD
• Patrick Parker, Community Mental Health and Partnerships Manager, SWSLHD 
• Dr Cathy O’Callaghan, Research Fellow, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Project Coordinator

Dr Carmelo Aquilina, Service Director, Older People’s Mental Health (OPMH) Service, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) 

Project Rationale

Australia’s population is ageing because life-expectancy is increasing but people are living longer with ill health. Therefore, it is imperative to address the modifiable determinants of health as people get older. Setting meaningful and individualised goals has been found effective when working with older people. The Fountain of Health (FoH) is one initiative that has successfully improved health and wellbeing in Canadian older people. To date there is no known study that has modified and explored the effects of the FoH initiative in Australia. This study implemented a modified version of the intervention in South Western Sydney (SWS) called Live Well.

Project Aims

The project seeks to assess the effectiveness and acceptability of the Live Well intervention to improve the health, wellbeing and resilience of older people/patients aged 65 and over living in South Western Sydney through goal setting interventions in the six health domains of:

• physical activity;
• social activity;
• healthy eating;
• mental activity;
• mental wellbeing; and
• positive thinking.

The project also sought to assess the feasibility and safety of using the intervention for clinicians.

Project Design and Method

Clinicians working in Older People's Mental Health (OPMH), GPs and practice nurses in SWS completed the training to deliver Live Well. They invited suitable clients to participate in the study and provide verbal and written information. During the Live Well intervention, participants selected one of six health and wellbeing domains to set a SMART goal and provided with information on each domain and a local resource guide to help them achieve their goal. Goals were set by domain and reviewed at 6 weeks and 12 weeks.

https://swsphn.com.au/primary-care-resources/live-well-healthy-ageing-program/

Contact

Dr Cathy O’Callaghan
c.ocallaghan@unsw.edu.au