• Carmel Peek, Isabel Higgins, Sally Milson-Hawke, Margaret McMillan, and Deborah Harper.
• Division of Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, Hunter New England Health, Armidale NSW, Australia.
• Contemp Nurse. 2007 Oct 1; 26 (2): 164-76.

AbstractThat the population is ageing poses many challenges for health care planners. Some argue that these challenges, exacerbated by limited funding, maintaining increased community expectations and the need for quality health care outcomes, may be overcome by exploring alternate models of care. These ideas have led health planners to reconceptualise contemporary philosophies of care with the current emphasis on multidisciplinary teams and a person-centred approach to care. This paper presents a model for the care of older people in the acute care setting. The concepts for the development of the model were derived from the international literature. In the model the care of older people is underpinned by a philosophy of person-centredness. The complex nature of care is represented along with those factors that enable a person-centred approach to be taken. The functions of the model in practice are highlighted and discussion of how it is being implemented within the acute care sector outlined.

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