Caring for health needs of older Australians
Australia, like many countries, faces serious challenges in caring for a growing population of older people with multiple health problems.
“Our health care system is fragmented, with geriatric services spread across different areas of the health system, in particular, across the hospital/community care divide,” Professor Stephen Bird, Professor of Exercise Sciences RMIT, says in an article in the Australian Health Review.
“This means that elderly patients may fail to receive all the services they require and, as a consequence, suffer detrimental impacts upon their health status and quality of life.
“It may also result in hospital presentations and a need for acute care, which could have been avoided.”