Toward embedding wellness approaches to health and disability in the policies and practices of allied health providers.
Wellness approaches, based on the social model of disability, are increasingly preferred throughout the health and disability service sectors. Despite this preference, there is a clear misalignment between policy and practice, and many allied health services continue to operate according to medical models of illness. To present an argument toward the incorporation of wellness approaches to health and disability in the policies and practices of allied health providers in Australia, this review is organized into four sections. First, the history and antecedents of wellness approaches, including the social model of disability, and relationships between them, are presented and discussed. Second, the current theoretical, empirical, social, and political demands for the implementation of wellness approaches are examined, with a particular emphasis on allied health settings. Next, the factors that facilitate and impede the uptake and implementation of wellness approaches in allied health settings are examined. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for allied health practice, education, and research.
Centre for Social Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia. l.breen@ecu.edu.au
Lauren J
LJ
Breen
Meredith J
MJ
Green
Lynn
L
Roarty
Sherry
S
Saggers
D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010686:Philosophy, Medical