Keeping older people well a focus for Canterbury health

DATE:
June 29, 2010
SUBJECT: Keeping older people well key is a focus for Canterbury health

Keeping older people healthy and independent in their own homes for longer, with more health care provided in or as close to their homes as possible, is a key focus for Canterbury health services.

In the last 18 months a range of initiatives have helped reduce the number of older people being admitted to Aged Residential Care (ARC) but the impact of the September, February earthquakes has meant 636 ARC beds (about 14 percent of the total number in Canterbury) were either destroyed or severely damaged.

About 520 residents were displaced with 200 able to relocate to other resthomes in the region. Fifty returned to their families and about 270 were relocated to resthomes around the country. Repatriation of residents who wish to return to Canterbury is being managed by the Canterbury District Health Board (DHB).

After the February 2011 earthquake the Canterbury DHB commissioned an ARC Physical Capacity Review plan, in partnership with ARC providers, consumers and health professionals, to ensure future development would be based on the best available information.

South Canterbury DHB Chief Executive Chris Fleming has been heading the review plan and says a strong theme in the plan is the desire for restorative models of care.

“These include plans to enhance the continuum of care between primary, home-based, community, residential and acute settings to enable older people to remain in the community for longer than in the past,” Mr Fleming says.

By the beginning of the 2013-2014 financial year the demand for ARC beds is estimated to increase from 4527 beds to 4924 beds (up 397 beds).

Executive Director of Allied Health Stella Ward says potential providers advise that about 286 new ARC beds are currently either under construction or in the final stages of approvals with building expected to begin by the end of 2012. A further 406 are potentially being developed in the next two to three years.

“However, these numbers are only a snapshot in time and will need to be reviewed regularly,” Stella says.

“We need to work in partnership to balance capacity with demand and ensure it is flexible and in line with new models of care.”

ENDS

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