Health Literacy as a Tool to Ease Pressure on Long-Term Care Systems: Perspectives and Issues on Healthy Aging Across the Life Course

Year 2020, , 11 - 25, 15.11.2020

Terence Seedsman

https://doi.org/10.51819/jaltc.2020.298474

Abstract

This paper aims to heighten attention and awareness surrounding the need for collective actions to advance health literacy interventions and initiatives within a life-course framework. Placing health literacy within a life course approach is held to be a precursor to healthy aging and an effective means of a) increasing healthy life expectancy in later life and b) reducing escalating costs associated with the operation of long-term care systems established to provide long-term care for the aged. Governments worldwide and their respective public health systems are encouraged to initiate policy developments that promote health literacy as a national health imperative. The significant actual and potential contributions of a strengthened focus on health literacy are highlighted as offering a pathway for a cultural shift leading to patient and consumer empowerment, increased health care equity, and improvements in organizational and health system outcomes. Making health literacy an essential part of health care policies warrants an understanding of the complex and dynamic interplay of components operating at the individual, community, and health system levels.

Keywords

Communication technology, digital literacy, health competency, longevity effect, self-management

References

• Armitage, R., & Nellums, L. B. (2020). COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly. The Lancet Public Health, 5(5), e256-e257.
• Bashshur, R. (2002). Telemedicine and health care. In R. Bashshur, S Mandil, & G. Shannon (Eds.), State-ofthe-art telemedicine/telehealth: An international perspective.
• Belim, C., & De Almeida, C. V. (2018). Communication competences are the key! A model of communication for the health professional to optimize the health literacy: Assertiveness, clear language and positivity. Journal of Healthcare and Communications, 3(31), 2472-1654.
• Beltrán-Sánchez, H., Soneji, S., & Crimmins, E. (2015). Past, Present, and Future of Healthy Life Expectancy. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 5(11).
• Berkman, N. D., Davis, T. C., & McCormack, L. C. (2010). Health literacy: What is it? Journal of Health Communication, 15, 9-19.
• Berlinger, N., & Solomon, M. Z. (2018). Becoming good citizens of aging societies. Hastings Center Report, 48, S2-S9.
• Bonk, M. B. (2016). Policies on ageing and health: A selection of innovative models. Liebefeld, Berne: Swiss Federal Office of Public Health-Division of Internal Affairs.
• Bozkurt, H., & Demirci, H. (2019). Health literacy among older persons in Turkey. Aging Male, 22(4).:272- 277.
• Brooks, J. D. (1996). Living longer and improving health. American Behavioral Scientist, 39(3), 272-287.
• Burbank, P. M., Padula, C. A., & Nigg, C. B. (2000). Changing health behaviors of older of people. Journal of Gerontology Nursing, 26(3), 26-33.
• Calder, P. C., Carding, S. R., Christopher, G., Kuh, D., Langley-Evans, S. C., & McNulty, H. A. (2018). A holistic approach to healthy ageing: How can people live longer healthier lives? Journal of Human Nutrition and Diet, 31(4), 439-450.
• Carstensen, G., Roseberg, B., McKee, K. J., & Aberg, A. C. (2019). Before evening falls; Perspectives of a good old age and healthy ageing among oldest-old Swedish men. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 82, 35-44.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009). Improving health literacy for older adults: Expert panel report 2009. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services.
• Chappell, T. A., & Provident, I. (2020). Cultural competency: Integrating an evidence-based course for increasing inclusive practices. Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 18(3), Article 9.
• Chesser, A. K., Woods, N. K., Smothers, K., & Rogers, N. (2016). Health literacy and older adults: A systematic review. Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, 2, 1-13.
• Chinn, D. (2014). Critical health literacy health promotion and people with intellectual disabilities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 5(3), 249-265.
• Christensen, K., Doblhammer, G., Rau, R., & Vaupel, J. (2009). Ageing populations: The challenge ahead. The Lancet, 374(9696), 1196-1208.
• Chung, C. E., & Prato-Lefkowitz, C. A. (2015). The importance of increasing health literacy content in nursing education. American Research Journal of Nursing, 1(10), 10-13.
• Clouston, S. A., Manganello, J. A., & Richards, M. (2017). A life course approach to health literacy: The role of gender, educational attainment and lifetime cognitive capability. Age & Ageing 46(3), 493-499.
• Cockerman, W. C. (2005). Health lifestyle theory and the convergence of aging and structure. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46(1), 51-67.
• Crimmins, E. M. (2015). Lifespan and healthspan: Past, present and promise. Gerontologist, 55(6), 901-911.
• Cristea, M., Noja, G. G., Stefea, P., & Sala, A. L. (2020). The impact of population aging and public health support on EU labor markets. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1439.
• Damant, J., Knapp, M., Freddolino, P., & Lombard, D. (2017). Effects of digital engagement on quality of life of older people. Health and Social Care in the Community, 25(6), 1679-1703.
• Dannefer, D., & Lin, J. (2014). Commentary: Contingent ageing, naturalization and some rays of intellectual hope. In J. Baas, J. Dohmen, A. Grenier, & C. Phillipson (Eds.), Ageing, meaning and social structure: Connecting critical and humanistic gerontology. Bristol, UK: Polity Press.
• Darawsheh, W., Chard, G., & Eklund, M. (2015). The Challenge of Cultural Competency in the Multicultural 21st Century: A Conceptual Model to Guide Occupational Therapy Practice. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3(2).
• Denton, M., & Kusch, K. (2006). Well-being through the senior years: An issues paper on key events and transitions in later life. Paper prepared for the Expert Roundtable on Seniors -Ottawa Canada, 19-20 January, pp. 1-50.
• Deveson, A. (2003). Resilience. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
• Eng, T. R. (2001). The e-health landscape: A terrain map of emerging information and communication technologies in health and health care. Princeton, NJ: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• Featherman, D. L. (1992). Development of reserves for adaptation to old age: Personal and societal agendas. In N. E. Cutler, D. W. Gregg, & M. P. Powell (Eds.), Aging, money, and life satisfaction: Aspects of financial gerontology. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
• Fineberg, H. W. (2004). Foreword. In L. NielsenBohlman, A. Panzer, & D. A. Kindig (Eds.), Health literacy: A prescription to end confusion. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
• Formosa, M. (2011). Universities of the third age: A rationale for transformational education in later life. Journal of Transformative Education, 8(30), 197-219.
• Geukes, C., Bröder, J., & Latteck, Ä. D. (2019). Health literacy and people with intellectual disabilities: What we know, what we do not know, and what we need: A theoretical discourse. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3), 463.
• Geukes, C., Bruland, D., & Latteck, Ä. D. (2018). Health literacy in people with intellectual disabilities: A mixed-method literature review. Kontakt, 20(4), e416- e423.
• Graycar, A. (2018). Policy design for an ageing population. Policy Design and Practice, 1(1), 63-78.
• Gregg, D. W. (1992). Human wealth-span: The financial dimensions of successful aging. In N. E. Cutler, D. W Gregg, & M. P. Powell (Eds.), Aging, money, and life satisfaction: Aspects of financial gerontology. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
• Grenier, A., & Phillipson, C. (2014). Rethinking agency in late life: Structural and interpretative approaches. In J. Baas, J. Dohmen, A. Grenier, & C. Phillipson (Eds.), Ageing, meaning and social structure: Connecting critical and humanistic gerontology. Bristol, UK: Polity Press.
• Gruenberg, E. M. (1977). The failures of success. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly /Health and Society, 55, 3-24.
• Gully, P. R. (2009). Forward. In J. Parker & E. Thorson (Eds.), Health communication in the new media landscape. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
• Haan, M. N., Rice, D. P., Satariano, W. A., & Selby, J. V. (1991). Introduction. Journal of Aging and Health, 3(2), 133-137.
• Harper, S. (2019). Living longer within ageing societies. Journal of Population Ageing 12, 133-136.
• Hendricks, J., & Powell, J. l. (2009). The welfare state in post-industrial society: The lay of the land. In J. L. Powell & J. Hendricks (Eds.), The welfare state in postindustrial society: A global perspective. New York: Springer.
• Hill, S. (2014). Report of the Victorian 2014 Consultation on Health Literacy. Melbourne: Centre for Health Communication and Participation, La Trobe University.
• Iacono, T., Stagg, K., Pearce, N., & Chambers, A. H. (2016). A scoping review of Australian allied health research in health. BMC Health Services Research, 16, 543.
• Inglis, S., Clark, R., McAlister, F., Ball, J., Lewinter, C., Cullington, D., Stewart, S., & Cleland, J. (2010). Structured telephone support or telemonitoring programmes for patients with chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8, CD007228–CD007228.
• Intille, S. S. (2004). A new research challenge: Persuasive technology to motivate healthy aging. Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 8(3), 235-237.
• Ireland, G. A. (1996). Aging well with fewer medications. American Behavioral Scientist, 39(3), 306- 316.
• Kalache, A., de Hoogh, A. I., Howlett, S. E., Kennedy, B., Eggersdorfer, M., Marsman, D. S., ... & Griffiths, J. C. (2019). Nutrition interventions for healthy ageing across the lifespan: a conference report. European Journal of Nutrition, 58(1), 1-11.
• Katz, J. (2002). The silent world of doctor and patient (2nd ed). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Kuh, D., Cooper, R., Hardy, R., Richards, M., & BenShlomo, Y. A. (2014). Life course approach to healthy ageing. London: Oxford University Press.
• Kuh, D., Karunananthan, S., Bergman, H., & Cooper, R. (2014). A life-course approach to healthy aging: Maintaining physical capability. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 73(2), 237-248.
• Laceulle, H. (2014). Self-realization and ageing: A spiritual perspective. In J. Baas, J. Dohmen, A. Grenier, & C. Phillipson (Eds.), Ageing, meaning and social structure: Connecting critical and humanistic gerontology. Bristol, UK: Polity Press.
• Lai, D. W. L., Tang, K. T., Chappell, N., Lai, D. C. Y., & Chau, S. B. Y. (2007). Relationships between culture and health status: A multi-site study of older Chinese in Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging, 26(3), 171-183.
• Lak, A., Rashidghalam, P., Myint, P. K., & Baradaran, H. R. (2020). Comprehensive 5P framework for active aging using the ecological approach: An iterative systematic review. BMC Public Health 20, 33 (2020).
• Larsen, A. K., Thygesen, L. C., Mortensen, O. S., Punnett, L., & Jorgensen, M. B. (2019). The effect of strengthening health literacy in nursing homes on employee pain and consequences of pain -a steppedwedge intervention trial. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health, 45(4), 386-395.
• Lo, R. Y. (2020). Uncertainty and health literacy in dementia care. Tzi Chi Medical Journal, 36(1), 14-18.
• Loan, L. A., Parnell, T. A., Stichler, J. F., Boyle, D. K., Allen, P., VanFosson, C. A., & Barton, A. J. (2018). Call for action: Nurses must play a critical role to enhance health literacy. Nursing Outlook, 66(1), 97-100.
• Lunenfeld, B., & Stratton, P. (2013). The clinical consequences of an ageing world and preventive strategies. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 27(5), 643-659.
• Maddox, G. L. (1992). Aging and well-being. In N. E. Cutler, D. W. Gregg, & M. P. Lawton (Eds.), Aging, money, and life satisfaction: Aspects of financial gerontology. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
• Michel, J. P., Dreux, C., & Vacheron, A. (2016). Healthy ageing: Evidence that improvement is possible at every age. European Geriatric Medicine, 7(4), 298-305.
• Moss, R., Süle, A., & Kohl, S. (2019). eHealth and mHealth. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacies, 26, 57-58.
• National Ageing Research Institute and the Council on Ageing Victoria. (2016). Healthy ageing literature review (Final report to the Department of Health and Human Services). Melbourne: Department of Health and Human Services-Victorian Government.
• National Research Council. (2001). Preparing for an aging world: The case for cross-national research. Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press.
• National Rural Health Alliance. (2019). Pre-budget submission 2020-2021. Deakin West, ACT: National Rural Health Alliance.
• Nielsen-Bohlman, L., Panzer, A., & Kindig, D. A. (Eds.) (2004). Health literacy: A prescription to end confusion. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
• Nutbeam, D. (2008). The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science and Medicine, 67(12), 2072- 2078.
• OECD (2017). Preventing ageing unequally. Paris: OECD Publishing.
• Okan, O., Bollweg, T. M., Berens, E. M., Hurrelmann, K., Bauer, U., & Schaeffer, D. (2020). Coronavirusrelated health literacy: A cross-sectional study in adults during the COVID-19 infodemic in Germany. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 5503.
• Oliveira, D., Bosco, A., & di Lorito, C. (2019). Is poor health literacy a risk factor for dementia in older adults? Systematic literature review of prospective cohorts. Maturites, 124, 8-14.
• Paakkari, L., & Okan, O. (2020). COVID-19: Health literacy is an underestimated problem. The Lancet. Public Health, 2020, 5(5), e249-e250.
• Paech, J., & Lippke, S. (2015). Health literacy as a key to healthy ageing in Europe. European Health Psychologist, 17(2), 67-71.
• Park, S. (2017). Digital inequalities in rural Australia: A double jeopardy of remoteness and social exclusion. Journal of Rural Studies, 54, 399-407.
• Parker, M. G., & Thorslund, M. (2007). Health trends in the elderly population: Getting better and getting worse. Gerontologist, 47(2), 150-158.
• Parker, R. M., Ratzan, S. C., & Lurie, N. (2003). Health literacy: A policy challenge for advance of high-quality health care. Health Affairs, 22(4), 147-153.
• Peerson, A., & Saunders, M. (2009). Health literacy revisited: What do we mean and why does it matter? Health Promotion International, 24(3), 285-296.
• Penno, E., & Gauld, R. (2017). Change, connectivity and challenge: Exploring the role of health technology in shaping health care for aging populations in Asia Pacific. Health Systems & Reform, 3(3), 224-235.
• Perrier, E. (2015). Positive disruption: Healthcare, ageing and participation in the age of technology. World Square, Sydney: The McKeller Institute.
• Petrovic, M., & Gaggioli, A. (2020). Digital mental health tools for caregivers of older adults: A scoping review. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 128.
• Plath, D. (2009). International policy perspectives on independence in old age. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 21(2). 209-223.
• Pot, A. M., Briggs, A. M., & Beard, J. R. (2017). Healthy ageing and the need for a long-term care system (Background Paper, 3). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
• Riley, M. W. (1992). Aging in the twenty-first century. In N. E. Cutler, D. W. Gregg, & M. P. Lawton (Eds.), Aging, money, and life satisfaction: Aspects of financial gerontology. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
• Robine, J., & Jagger, C. (2005). The relationship between increasing life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. Quality in Ageing: Policy, Practice and Research, 10(2), 5-14.
• Robinson, L., Newton, J. L., Jones, D., & Dawson, P. (2014). Self-management and adherence with exercisebased falls prevention programmes: a qualitative study to explore the views and experiences of older people and physiotherapists. Disability and Rehabilitation, 36(5), 379-386.
• Rostamzadeh, A., Staples, J., Genske, A., Junger, S., Seves, M., Woopen, C., & Jesen, F. (2020). Health literacy in individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia: A systematic review. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, 7(1), 47-55.
• Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1987). Human aging: Usual and successful. Science, 237, 143-149.
• Rowlands, G., Protheroe, J., Saloga-Nunes, L., Van den Broucke, S., Levin-Zamir, D., & Okan, O. (2019). Health literacy and chronic conditions: A life course perspective. In O. Okan, U. Bauer, D. Levin-Zamir, P. Pinheiro, & K. Sorensen (Eds.), International handbook of health literacy: research, practice and policy across the lifespan. University of Bristol, UK: Polity Press.
• Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. (2019). Interim report: Neglect-Volume1 (Information gathered and some conclusions). Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia. Rudman, D. L. (2006). Shaping the active, autonomous and responsible retiree. An analysis of discursive technologies and their links with neo-liberal political rationality. Ageing & Society, 26, 181-201.
• Ryan, E. B., Meredith, S. D., MacLean, M. J., & Orange, J. B. (1995). Changing the way we talk with elders: Promoting health using the communication enhancement model. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 41(2), 89-107.
• Sadak, T., Wright, J., & Borson, S. (2018). Managing your loved one’s health: Development of a new care management measure for dementia family caregivers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 37(5), 620-643.
• Savundranayagam, M. Y., Ryan, E. B., & Hummert, M. L. (2007). Communication, health and ageing: Promoting empowerment. In: A. Weatherall, B. Watson, & C. Gallois (Eds.), Language, Discourse and Social Psychology. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Senge, P. M. (2007). Foreword. In C. O. Scharmer, Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges-the social technology of presencing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Society of Organizational Learning, Inc.
• Shann, A., & Stewart, E. (2018). Barriers and facilitators of older people’s health usage: A qualitative review of older people’s views. Human Technology, 14(3), 264-296.
• Sørensen, K., Van den Broucke, S., Fullam, J., Doyle, G., Pelikan, J., Slonska, Z., & Brand, H. (2012). Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health, 12, 80.
• Speros, C. I. (2009). "More than Words: Promoting Health Literacy in Older Adults". Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(3), 5.
• Speyer, R., Denman, D., Wilkes-Gillan, S., Chen, Y. W., Bogaardt, H., Kim, D. E., & Hackathorn, R. C. (2018). Effects of telehealth by allied health professionals and nurses in rural and remote areas: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 50(3), 225-253.
• Spoel, P., Harris, R., & Henwood, F. (2014). Rhetorics of Health Citizenship: Exploring Vernacular Critiques of Government’s Role in Supporting Healthy Living. Journal of Medical Humanities, 35, 131-147.
• Stafford, M., Von Wagner, C., Perman, S., Taylor, J., & Kuh, D. (2018). Social connectedness and engagement in preventive health services: An analysis of data from a prospective cohort study. Lancet Public Health, 3(9), e438-e446.
• Stedman, A., & Thomas, Y. (2011). Reflecting on our effectiveness: Occupational therapy interventions with Indigenous clients. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58(1), 43-49.
• Stocks, N. P., Hill, C. L., Gravier, S., Kickbusch, L., Beilby, J. J., Wilson, D. H., & Adams, R. J. (2009). Health Literacy - A New Concept for General Practice? Australian Family Physician, 38(3), 144-146. Stuckelberger, A., & Vikat, A. (Eds.) (2008). A society for all ages: Challenges and opportunities. Proceedings of the UNECE Ministerial Conference on Ageing, 6-8 November 2007, Leon Spain.
• Summers, J. K., & Smith, L. M. (2014). The role of social and intergenerational equity in making changes in human well-being being sustainable. Ambio, 43(6), 718- 728.
• Sutherland, A. M., Stickland, J., & Wee, B. (2020). Can video consultations replace face-to-face interviews: Palliative medicine and Covid-19 pandemic. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 10, 271-275.
• Tongue, J. R., Epps, H. R., & Forese, L. L. (2005). Communication skills for patient centered care. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 87A(3), 652-658.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) (2010). National action plan to improve health literacy (Summary). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Walker, A. (2018). Why the UK needs a social policy on ageing. Journal of Social Policy, 47(2), 253-273.
• Williams, G., Cylus, J., Roubal, T., Ong, P., & Barber, S. (2019). Sustainable health financing with an ageing population: Will population ageing lead to uncontrolled health expenditure growth? Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization.
• Wilmoth, J., & Longino, C. (2007). Demographic trends contributing to structural lag and policy stagnation. Public Policy & Aging Report, 17(3), 1-6.
• Wittenberg, E., Goldsmith, J., Ferrel, B., & Ragan, S. (2017). Promoting improved family caregiver health literacy: Evaluation of caregiver communication resources. Psychooncology, 26(7), 935-942.
• World Health Organization. (2015). Number of people over 60 years set to double by 2050 [Online]. Geneva: World Health Organization. [Accessed August 26, 2020].
• World Health Organization. (2016). Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health. Geneva: World Health Organization.
• World Health Organization. (2017). Developing an ethical framework for healthy ageing: Report of a WHO meeting in Tübingen, Germany, 18 March. Geneva: World Health Organization.
• World Health Organization. (2019). WHO guidelines: Recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening. Geneva: World Health Organization.
• Zarcadoolas, C., Pleasant, A., & Greer, D. (2006). Advancing health literacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Zedler, B. K., Kakad, P., Colilla, S., Murrelle, L., & Shah, N. R. (2011). 'Does packaging with a calendar feature improve adherence to self-administered medication for long-term use? A systematic review'. Clinical Therapeutics, 33(1), 62-73.