Older Persons and Rehabilitation

This service provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services for older people (65+ and those close in age and characteristics), and intensive rehabilitation for people under 65 years of age.

Services are provided in hospital, outpatient clinics, and in the community, including in clients’ homes.

A new building was completed in June 2013 to provide three wards and a clinic area. The building is shared with the Mental Health of Older People service.

Description

Older Persons and Rehabilitation services include:

• Combined Stroke service
  Provides acute care for patients with stroke and those stroke patients requiring assessment, treatment and rehabilitation.
• Orthopaedic rehabilitation
  Works in collaboration with acute orthopaedics to ensure a seamless approach between post-operative or acute care of older people with fractures and active and intensive rehabilitation.
• General assessment, treatment and rehabilitation
  For people 65 years + or those close in age, interests and characteristics.
• Intensive rehabilitation
  For people 16 years + who meet set criteria.
• Older Persons and Rehabilitation clinics
  Specialist-led clinics that take a multidisciplinary approach and address a wide range of issues and conditions of older patients referred by GPs or hospital services.
• Disability Support Link (DSL)
  Promote a person’s quality of life and create an environment that enables community participation and maximum independence. It identifies and coordinates home support services for people with disabilities in the Waikato, King Country, Thames Valley and Coromandel Peninsula (except those with short-term illnesses that will require support services for less than six months and people will ACC-related conditions).
• START (Supported Transfer and Accelerated Rehabilitation Team)
  Provides intensive in-home rehabilitation to those discharged from hospital, focusing on achieving personal, meaningful goals identified by the patient and their family.

Key personnel

Barbara Garbutt
Group manager
Older Persons and Rehabilitation

Locations

Hamilton

• Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building, Gate 3 Pembroke Street (west side), Hamilton.
  • Older Persons and Rehabilitation wards
  • Older Persons and Rehabilitation clinics

See here for more details on ward and clinics locations

• Disability Support Link (DSL) , Hugh Monckton Building, Rostrevor Street, Hamilton but coordinates home support services across the Waikato district.
• START (Supported Transfer and Accelerated Rehabilitation Team)– team base is in the Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building, but services are provided in clients’ homes across the Waikato district.

Thames Hospital
610 Mackay Street
Thames

• Two general assessment, treatment and rehabilitation wards
• Specialist-led clinics

Rhoda Read continuing care facility
222 Studholme Street
Morrinsville

Matariki continuing care facility
389 Kihikihi Road
Te Awamutu

Contact information

For all hospital departments and services (07) 839 8899

Referral information

• Referrals to OPR are by GPs and other health professionals, using the OPR single point of entry referral form 
• Referrals to Disability Support Link - please note the DSL Referral Guidelines
• Applications for Disbility Support Link end-of-life support - use this form

Information for health professionals

• Celebrating success in Older Persons and Rehabilitation 
  
• Delirium booklet (see under Delirium in the For health professions>Primary care guidelines section of the website)
• Ageing and Dementia: A compendium of New Zealand Research Literature

Vacancies

• Bupa Research Fellow/Specialist Physician in Older Persons and Rehabilitation
• Specialist Geriatrician / General Physician

FAST stroke campaign

• FAST stroke background information
• See the signs of a stroke - Think FAST