Home and Older Adults Services
Waitemata DHB provides Home and Older Adults Services for people aged 65+. Where Ministry of Health criteria are met, some services are also provided to people aged between 50 and 64 years. Waitemata DHB’s Home and Older Adults Services are comprised of:
- Inpatient assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services
- Community services for older adults, and home health
- Needs assessment and service co-ordination.
Assessment, treatment and rehabilitation (AT&R)
AT&R services are dedicated to improving and maintaining the health and independence of older people. Waitemata DHB has two Waitakere Hospital wards (Muriwai and Huia wards) and two North Shore Hospital wards (14 and 15) which provide geriatric medicine and rehabilitative care for older people. AT&R allied health teams also operate at both North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals, providing physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy and social work expertise.
Community services for older adults
Community Services for Older Adults support older people to achieve optimal physical functioning, health and wellbeing in their own homes or community environments. This is achieved via:
- General and specialty outpatient clinics
- Specialist gerontology nursing
- Home-based rehabilitation – including equipment and interventions to compensate for loss of function as well as services designed to help with the restoration of function.
These services are provided out of North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals, and from sites in Warkworth and Helensville, as well as on the Hibiscus Coast.
Home Health
Home Health services are provided out of North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals, and from community sites in Warkworth, Helensville and on the Hibiscus Coast. Services include:
- District nursing - district nurses provide a predominantly home-visiting service, providing wound care, palliative care and other home-based treatments
- Allied Health (e.g. Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy)
- Meals on Wheels
- Ostomy and continence
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The Volunteer Stroke Scheme - the Volunteer Stroke Scheme provides an Auckland region-wide service to people who have had strokes, enabling them to be integrated into family and community life, and to maximise their communication with others. Volunteer co-ordinators, volunteers and volunteer group facilitators provide the service. Speech language therapists from Waitemata DHB and other DHBs work closely with this service.
Needs assessment and service co-ordination
This service packages together a range of support service responses and interventions to meet the requirements of individuals with health and disability needs. These responses may range from a minimal package of basic household tasks through to more complex packages of care that support fulltime carers in their role.
Residential Aged Care Integration Project (RACIP)
This project is an innovative and bold initiative, funded by the Waitemata DHB to support and further strengthen the Residential Aged Care services in its region. This initiative will support aged care services to promote the health and wellbeing for those in Residential Aged Care services.