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. 2021 Oct 25;21(1):597.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02553-8.

What we need as we get older: needs assessment for the development of a community geriatrics service in an Australian context

Mark I Hohenberg #  1 , Najwa-Joelle Metri #  2 , Rubab Firdaus  3 , David Simmons  1   4   5 , Genevieve Z Steiner  6   7
Affiliations

What we need as we get older: needs assessment for the development of a community geriatrics service in an Australian context

Mark I Hohenberg et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to inform the development of a Community Geriatrics Service (CGS) that addressed the healthcare and social needs of community dwelling older people in an Australian context.

Methods: Stakeholders (N = 108) took part in a 'needs assessment' involving 30-min semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (GPs; N = 49), and three 2-h focus groups (community engagement meetings; N = 59) with older people, informal caregivers, allied healthcare workers, and nursing home directors. Data were transcribed and thematically coded, mapped to source and weighted to the frequency that the theme was raised across sources.

Results: Five themes informing CGS development and delivery emerged: active health conditions (management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, falls, multimorbidity, and other relevant conditions), active social challenges (patient non-compliance, need for aged care social workers, caregiver stress, elder abuse, social isolation, and stigma), referrals (availability of specialists, communication, specialist input, and advance care directives), access (lack of transport options, and inaccessibility of local geriatrics clinics and specialists), and awareness (lack of awareness, knowledge, and resources).

Conclusions: The CGS will need to address access, referral processes and health system navigation, which were perceived by stakeholders as significant challenges. These findings warrant the development of a CGS with an integrated approach to aged care, pertinent for the health and social needs of the elderly.

Keywords: Aged care; Community geriatrics service (CGS); Needs assessment; Older people; Qualitative.

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Conflict of interest statement

As a medical research institute, NICM Health Research Institute receives research grants and donations from foundations, universities, government agencies, individuals and industry. Sponsors and donors provide untied funding for work to advance the vision and mission of the Institute. NJM and GZS are both affiliated with NICM Health Research Institute, but have no competing interests to declare. MIH has received travel support/honoraria for educational meetings and speaking and educational engagements from Amgen, the Chinese Geriatric Association, and Medtronic. The project that is the subject of this article was not undertaken as part of a contractual relationship with any organisation and was intended as a quality assurance project for SWSLHD.

References

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