Henwood launches healthy ageing consultancy

Former academic and aged care executive Dr Tim Henwood has stepped out on his own to help service providers realise better health outcomes for older people through evidence-based solutions.

This week’s launch of AgeFIT Solutions follows Dr Henwood’s recent departure from Southern Cross Care SA, NT & Vic after more than seven years with the aged care provider, most of which in the role of group manager of health and wellness.

Prior to that, the exercise physiologist spent over seven years as a research fellow in healthy ageing at the University of Queensland – which is where he previously undertook his PhD into using resistance training to increase muscle and functional ability in older adults. 

In his new role, Dr Henwood said he wanted to see more older adults on better health pathways that improve their independence while reducing their health service presentations.

“What hasn’t changed in the past 40 years among older adults is the high prevalence of mental health and cardiovascular disease, functional disability, falls and hospital presentation.

“We can’t just keep responding to people’s care needs and promote their disability, we need to change our mindset, embrace the evidence, plan for better health pathways and help older Australians push back on disability,” Dr Henwood told Community Care Review.

An important part of the solution is exercise, said Dr Henwood, for prevention of things like diseases, decline and falls as well as the increased strength to give older people the dignity to be able get off the toilet, shower and dress.

“For many diseases, exercise is as an effective counter to symptoms as medication. The big difference being that medication has a range of negative side effects, but the side effects of exercise are strength, balance, power, better heart and lung capacity, and the list goes on,” he said.

In his new business, Dr Henwood wants to focus on helping aged care and retirement living providers establish or improve their health, wellness and respite offerings and staff health literacy training.

“I have always been a passionate advocate for healthy ageing. With Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & Vic) I was able to bring my evidence-based models of care vision to life,” he said. “However, there are still so many clients without access to these types of services or an understanding of why they should be participating. I am hoping that as a consultant, outside the confines of one organisation, more providers may want to benefit from my knowledge and incorporate health service offerings that align to their strategic direction and that have important health outcomes for their clients.”

To achieve better health outcomes, more people need to be taking preventative steps to avoid physical, social and mental health decline, while those who have already experienced decline need to know about the health options, Dr Henwood said.

“But for this to be realised everyone in the chain must understand the evidence and the opportunities, and the opportunities must exist and be accessible.”

Government-funded support through Medicare and aged care programs are already available to support older people to get onto better health pathways, but poor health literacy across the service provider, referrer, client and family networks means they are poorly accessed, he said.

“My work with SCC shows that better health engagement is feasible,” he said. “With the baby boomers flooding into the sector, and the government using more reablement language throughout community reform, providers need to consider how evidence-based allied health and therapy fits within the care vision.”

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