Primary healthcare and the older person

The aim of this chapter is to introduce you to older people in Australian society by exploring their health and the factors that influence their health through a primary healthcare (PHC) approach. This topic is important because Australia has an increasingly ageing population and the principles of PHC provide a sound basis to support the health of older people. This chapter provides an overview of primary healthcare and the health of older Australians -it is not a comprehensive exploration of these topics. Rather, this chapter provides an examination of some of the most significant historical and contemporary issues confronting the health of older people. The chapter is divided into four sections. First, PHC is described as a philosophy and comprehensive model of care, with a focus on the principles of participation, equity and intersectoral collaboration. Second, the demographics of the Australian ageing population are presented to show that life expectancy is increasing and will present different requirements for an ageing population. Through the presentation of different perspectives on ageing, consideration is given to past and present influences on individual and societal attitudes. The health of older Australians and the factors influencing their health are then discussed – the focus being on the social determinants of culture, income, employment and workforce participation, gender and education. Finally, this chapter describes how a selective model of PHC can be used to support the health of older people in all settings. Throughout this chapter, the term ‘older person’ is used as it refers to all individuals over 65 years in all settings