As we grow older our medical needs become more complex. We are able to spend more time with our older patients providing quality and compassionate care. Our goal is to maximise your health and wellbeing so you can maintain an independent and fulfilling life. Our doctors understand the value of a coordinated, integrated approach and liaise closely with specialist and other healthcare providers.
We’re here to help you naivete the ageing process.
Common areas that cause concern for older patients and their families are:
- Decreasing mobility
- Loss of confidence
- Increased falls risk
- Difficulty managing at home
- Worries about memory
- Continence.
We help older patients access Medicare rebates for allied health services including podiatrists, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and dietitians.
Read more about how we help at our page:
Annual Health Assessment for patients over 75 year old
We offer our patients who are over 75 year old a comprehensive annual health assessment with our nurse and their doctor to proactively prevent or solve problems. Our aim is to help you live independently in your own home and enjoy a fulfilling life as long as possible. Our in-depth process includes:
- A review of current and past medical conditions,
- A review of your medications,
- Assessing physical ability and nutrition,
- Assessing social supports and home safety,
- Checks for memory problems or depression,
- Other important issues. We offer these assessments with no extra cost to the patient.
This process can help identify patients who may be able to access Medicare-eligible access to allied health professionals.
75 year old Drivers Medical Certificate Examinations
Drivers who are over 75 years old are required to have an annual medical clearance. Our older drivers often choose to schedule the health assessment before having their annual driver’s medical examination. This can help reduce the number of visits to see us! The form can be downloaded from Medical certificate for motor vehicle driver form (F3712) (scroll down page) or collected from your local transport and motoring customer service centre.
Safer Driving
You can learn more about safer driving with medical conditions and why these checks were introduced at:
- Driving, your health and the law medical Conditions reporting otherwise referred to as Jet’s Law.
- Safe Driving -Drivers 75 years and over
The RACQ offers Older driver programs which include education about
- Recent changes to the Queensland road rules
- Medical considerations when driving
- Alternative transport option
We understand that an assessment in a doctor’s surgery may not always reflect safety when driving in a car. Where there is doubt about fitness to drive, it may be necessary for you to arrange for a qualified occupational therapist to conduct an in-car assessment.
Home Medications Review (Domiciliary Medication Management Review
The GPs at Reydon Street work with local pharmacists to address medication issues. Pharmacists can help you manage your medications more safely, including packing into dispensing packs. We can arrange for a pharmacist to visit your home to perform a Home Medications Review (Domiciliary Medication Management Review (DMMR).
We have a visiting geriatrician
Furthermore, to make accessing a specialist easier, Dr Peter Kortlucke is our visiting geriatrician and attends on a weekly basis.
MyAgedCare
Ensure you or the person you care for is getting access to the correct level of funding to support their needs by requesting a MyAgedCare (ACAT) Assessment .
This is to access more help and support to keep people safe and function in their own home or when the time is right to look into an aged care home.
See the types of care MyAgedCare can help you access. For example you can get some help with day-to-day tasks around the house, or respite care while your family or carer is away. Or perhaps it’s time to look into aged care homes. There are many services that can help you maintain a good quality of life as you get older.
Advance Care planning
Advance care planning involves thinking and making choices now to ensure family, doctors and hospitals are aware of what health care you i would like in the future. Put more bluntly, it includes decisions about resuscitation, life support machines or operations at a time when you might be seriously or terminally ill and cannot communicate these to those around you. It is important to talk about your wishes, values, beliefs and treatment preferences with your family, friends and doctors.
Planning ahead can mean:
- discussing your health care and quality of life choices with those closest to you, and
- choosing and appointing your Enduring Power of Attorney(s), and/or
- completing an Advance Health Directive and / or
- writing down your values, beliefs and health care preferences in a Statement of Choices.
It is important that these are documented in writing after appropriate, open discussion with family, loved one and your family doctor. Visit the Queensland Health My Care, My Choices Advance Care Planning website for forms and more information. Once you have documented your wishes they need to be somewhere where they can be accessed quickly and easily. We can help upload them to Queensland Health so they can be held on file centrally.
The Office of the Public Guardian
The Public guardian is there to help protect people who do not have the capacity to make decisions or look after themselves
If you need help making decisions for someone else, or feel they need someone to look after their interests, see the Public Guardian website