Clinical Care Services
Choice of Medical Officers
Whitehall Aged Care Facility promotes choice and decision making amongst residents. As a resident, you are entitled to choose your own doctor. If you have not appointed a medical officer, a list of attending Medical Officers can be provided to you by the Director of Care or General Manager. You and your family can then nominate a medical officer of your choice.
Your attending Medical Officer will be involved with the development of your care plan. He or She will also be responsible for assessing and managing your health condition on a regular basis. It is also his/her responsibility to provide a Locum Service that will cover him/her in his/her absence.
Physiotherapy
Our physiotherapist will attend to your assessment on admission. An individualized mobility and exercise program will be developed for you. The program will be regularly reviewed and evaluated every 3 months, in conjunction with your care plan, to ensure we are meeting your needs.
Private additional physiotherapy may be arranged on your request and may be available through your health fund. You or your family may contact your own private physiotherapist or we can provide you with a list of external service providers.
Optical
Each resident will be referred to an Optometrist for an assessment, after admission and then annually, to ensure we are able to provide you with appropriate care. If you wish to see your own private ophthalmologist or optometrist, please feel free to make your own arrangement, or you may ask the RN to assist with making the appointments for you.
Oral & Dental
If you wish to continue to visit your own private dentist or dental prosthetist, you may do so following your admission. A list of external service providers may be provided to you and staff may assist in making appointments at your request.
Podiatry
Our podiatrist will visit every 6-8 weeks following your admission. If you wish to continue to visit your own private podiatrist, please inform us on admission.
Pharmaceutical
Whitehall Aged Care Facility has organized for Miller's Pharmacy to supply all our pharmacy needs as this allows safe medication management within the facility.
Your medical officer will be responsible for writing up your medications and our trained staff members will be responsible for their administration. We Utilize the 7 day Unit Dose Webster System.
All pharmacy charges are invoiced on the resident's accounts.
Pathology Services
Pathology Services are accessible to all residents. The service providers will be depending on the attending Medical Officer's choice, as they will be responsible for completing referral forms. Whitehall RNs will attend to all bookings and follow up of same.
X-Rays and Scans
Appointments for x-rays and Scans may be arranged by staff if an order or referral has been written by the attending Medical Officer. A mobile x-ray service may be available but external appointments will be arranged if required. (Please refer to outings/appointments).
Palliative Care and Advanced Care Directives
Residents who become acutely ill will be cared for within the home, unless a decision between you, your family and your attending medical officer was made to send you to the hospital for active treatment. Whitehall Registered Nurses will contact your nominated person responsible regarding decisions to transfer you to hospital.
If you have made an Advanced Care Directive, it is advisable that you bring this with you and give it to the Registered Nurse on the day of admission. This will allow us to respect your wishes and provide you with the care at the final stage of your care.
All Other Allied Health or Complimentary Services
Our staff will be able to offer assistance in arranging external appointments or visits from other Allied Health Services or Complementary Services such as aromatherapy, massage therapy, etc., if you wish to do so.
Lifestyle Services
Lifestyle Program and Activities
Following your admission into the facility, our staff from the lifestyle department will approach you to discuss your hobbies and interests in order to incorporate your identified needs into our lifestyle activities program.
Our lifestyle department will encourage you to attend our wide variety of activities program daily. A program will be posted on our lifestyle notice boards for you to look at, a copy will be provided to you upon your request. Although we encourage you to attend all activities, your decision to accept or decline will be respected at all times.
Books/Library Access
Our lifestyle department can assist patients and source large print library and DVDs and variety of movies to watch. Talking books may also be sourced if they wish. The mobile library from the Kuring-gai Council also services our facility for their convenience.
Bus Trips and Resident Outings
We have regular bus trips and outings for our residents as part of our lifestyle activities, which may include a short stroll to the park or to the coffee shops and churches.
We have access to wheelchair accessible buses. Patients will be encouraged and asked to join by the RAOs, their decision to decline or accept all invitations will be respected either way. Bus trips and outings will vary from short trips to picnics or special events or to long scenic trips to enjoy the beautiful surrounds our city has to offer.
Church Services
We will have regular religious services organised as required according to the resident's needs. Please inform staff of your religious requirements on admission.
Cultural Events and Activites
With our ever changing multicultural community, we recognize the different needs of each of our residents. Please do not hesitate to discuss with our lifestyle department of your wishes and special requests relating to your individual culture or customs and belief, or your ethnic background.
Our staff will also assist you to keep in contact with your own community outside the facility in celebrating special cultural events or customary activities.
We have regular volunteers that visit our facility, from different communities outside the facility.
Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy
We have a hairdresser and a beautician that will visit the facility to provide their services. Invoices for these services will be sent directly to you by the provider.
Support Groups
We conduct regular support group meetings, for those of you who wish to sit down and talk about your own experiences relating to your loved ones. This is facilitated by the lifestyle department.