Regaining health and independence through ViTA

The new state of the art centre, ViTA, which officially launched yesterday and joins health, aged care and education, is part of a progressive partnership between South Australian aged care provider, ACH Group, SA Health and Flinders University, with the support of the federal government.

Comprising long and short term, transitional care and rehabilitation places, ViTA aims to demonstrate innovation in a sector that is undergoing significant change.

Flinders University is responding to the need for more aged care professionals by producing a new cohort of highly skilled health graduates who are equipped to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving and growing aged care sector.

The $46 million ViTA facility will provide medical, nursing and allied health students with 'real world' educational experiences through interaction and clinical placements with patients and residents.

Professor Michael Barber, Flinders University Vice-Chancellor, says ViTA will provide exciting opportunities for the university to revolutionise traditional health education models.

The university will offer a number of multidisciplinary teaching modules from the Flinders University Clinical Teaching and Education Centre (CTEC) at ViTA.

The centre will have the capacity to accommodate up to 600 students a year and will facilitate team training for medical, nursing and allied health students in the care of older people.

Professor Michael Kidd, executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, says the innovative, cutting edge technologies offered at ViTA are central to the advancement of health care education.

“CTEC will use simulation labs, robotic based therapies, audio visual networking capabilities and online module delivery to enrich the student experience,” Professor Kidd says.

“Teaching will be linked to a range of regional sites, including Darwin, Renmark and Mount Gambier, with the potential for links to overseas locations in the future,” he adds.

The ViTA centre, based at South Australia’s Repatriation General Hospital, comprises 120 private rooms:

• 20 rehabilitation rooms – building physical strength, flexibility and mobility for a sustained return to good health and improved ability to attend to regular activities
• 40 transitional care rooms – supporting older people to be discharged from hospital earlier and to take a proactive approach in their recovery to assure an earlier return to their homes and communities
• 60 residential care rooms – these single private rooms with ensuite ensure your privacy, as well as a sense of personal space while in a supported environment where a healthy ageing approach is key

Find out more information about ViTA.