Posted by At #AMANatCon today discussing Aged Care – again KINDNESS and properly resourced GPs at the centre of care.
Areas to improve during the Royal Commission (which will likely confirm what we already know from the last several Inquiries)
We need to incentivise especially :
- GP visits especially after hours – fix the MBS dont break it with a nonsense from the MBS review
- Prevention eg Exercise to reduce dementia (up to 1/3 preventable)
- Respite care
- Technology to avoid hospital transfer – teleconsult
- Reduction in Chemical restraint with associated ethical, consent and legal problems
And a couple of items to complement the better care of older people Andrew. 1. Older people living in community and RACFs need more than 5 Medicare funded visits per year for allied health. 80% aged over 75 use only for podiatry, when they also need exercise physiologist, Physio to help them improve mobility and increase muscle strength. Plus a dietitian to help with extra protein to reduce under nutrition which is often missed. 2. Increased nurse support in general practices with big numbers of older people. To appropriately care for people with multiple morbidity plus functional decline, and needing care coordination, team based care is required. Can’t do this if primary care teams not adequately funded.