Rolling out new ageing strategy in style

More than 60 consumers, civic leaders and stakeholders descended on Jubilee Bowls Club on 5 May to roll out the Townsville Hospital and Health Service’s Healthy Ageing in North Queensland strategy in style.

The strategy maps the disparate and varied services that provide support to older persons and outlines strategies to better coordinate and integrate that care.

Townsville Hospital and Health Board Chair Tony Mooney said it was important to streamline older persons health services across multiple agencies and disciplines.

“The journey to old age should not be complexified by an unwieldly and inflexible healthcare system nor should factors such as remoteness, Indigeneity and socioeconomic status be to anyone’s detriment,” he said.

“This strategy has been informed by experts in their field as well as more than 140 consumers who told us their aspirations for an improved healthcare journey for older residents.

“Integrating ageing services is an enormously complex task that covers different services in hospital, the community, through NGOs and State and Commonwealth agencies and the private sector.

“We are up for the challenge and we now have a clear and defined plan to ensure that North Queenslanders can enjoy their golden years without the stress and anxiety of navigating an overly complex system.”

Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief operating officer Stephen Eaton said in less than 15 years more than 50,000 North Queenslanders will be over the age of 70.

“The long anticipated and talked about growth of North Queensland and Australia’s elderly population is well and truly here,” he said.

“This strategy will be the guiding document for the Townsville Hospital and Health Service to streamline care for older people over the next 10 years.

“The strategies contained within this document represent a clear direction to ensure our oldest residents receive compassionate and coordinated care the way they want it delivered.”

Key elements of the plan:

• Establish a resource and information hub as a single contact point and coordination service for older persons services
• Establish services to provide support to GPs and residential aged-care facilities to support older people with behavioural issues.
• Reduce the number of patients in hospital beds awaiting residential aged care placement by establishing a transition care program.
• Establish a dedicated acute older persons mental health unit and same-day geriatric evaluation management unit at Townsville University Hospital.
• Expand the role of nurse navigators to better support frail older patients in their care
• Review and address coordination issues for older patients required to attend multiple hospital appointments across specialities with varying days and times
• Work with the North Queensland Primary Healthcare Network to establish ‘GP hot clinics’ to undertake rapid assessments for patients with complex needs
• Increase the number of geriatric, allied health and pharmacy clinics available through telehealth to rural and regional hospitals
• Focus on moving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander older people into the community and home setting to avoid hospitalisation, and for chronic disease conditions to be managed in the community.