A service which will allow 700 elderly patients a year to receive assessment and rehabilitation in their homes rather than at Dunedin Hospital was launched by the Otago District Health Board yesterday.
Speaking at the launch before about 50 people, chief executive Brian Rousseau said he was pleased to see the move, something which had been talked about when he first arrived six years ago.
Such services had the ability to keep people well in their homes and keep them from acute hospital care.
What used to be called the Older Persons Health day hospital has been renamed the Gibson Community Rehabilitation Service and will focus on improving independence for people in their own homes.
Mental health and community services group manager Elaine Chisnall said there would be savings of about $20,000 a year because the board would no longer be providing meals or transport for those attending the day hospital.
Only those patients who needed specialised gym equipment or had to see therapists who could not visit them at home would be attending the hospital.
Patient programmes would last about eight weeks, with all people assessed by a team, and their therapy could include working with nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, speech and language therapists and clinical psychologists.
Staff would also have close links with a patient's family doctor.
Mrs Chisnall said there had not been any redundancies as a result of the changes.
It was a matter of existing staff providing care under a different model.
Asked if there had been concerns from existing patients about the changes, Mrs Chisnall said one had been worried about the loss of socialisation opportunities.
The team had acknowledged that, and would be working with patients to find other chances for them to socialise within their own communities.
It was expected the service would be up to full strength in about two months, she said.
