Tomorrow is International Day of the Older Person and to celebrate, we’re showcasing the wonderful work of Metro North’s Residential Aged Care District Assessment and Referral Service’s Rapid Response team, known as RADAR RR. And yes, the service is as cool as the name! We spoke with Jenny Townsley, Nurse Practitioner Candidate for the team, and she told us how the model works.
RADAR RR is a multi-disciplinary team comprised of emergency and geriatric consultants, nurse practitioners, nurse navigators and pharmacists that provides outreach services to residential aged care facility (RACF) residents who need acute care but may not require admission to hospital.
As the single point of contact for the Queensland Ambulance Service, general practitioners and after hours RACF staff, RADAR RR is focused on improving the health of older persons residing in RACFs by providing a comprehensive acute care outreach or telehealth service.
“For example, if a resident has a fall, RADAR RR can undertake an extensive assessment and treatment plan within the RACF and avoid an emergency department admission if it is safe to do so. We do this in collaboration with residents, their families, and their general practitioner – it’s completely patient focused care,” Jenny explained.
Given the complexity of disease and chronic nature of conditions of older people living in RACFs, the support that RADAR RR can provide varies depending on an individual’s needs. The services available include:
- managing/reviewing complex wound care needs
- management of indwelling urinary catheter problems
- support the palliation of patients within the RACF
- nursing review of patients before the resident is transferred to an emergency department
- post hospital discharge follow-up
- dementia management support
Jenny said a major aim of the RADAR RR service was to coordinate the right care at the right time to reduce unplanned hospital admissions and unnecessary transfers to already busy emergency departments.
And it happens to be something Jenny absolutely loves.
“Residents in aged care facilities are amongst the most vulnerable cohort in society. Anything that can be done to facilitate best care to the residents is an absolute dream job for me,” Jenny explains.
“Having a peek into their lives is very rewarding – one resident shared with me his experience being in Darwin during the war, with bombings and the aftermath of that time. Stories that are a privilege to listen to.”
“The team I work with inspire me and I am in awe of them all – from the amazing support staff, RADAR local teams, and the nursing and medical staff. We are all working towards better outcomes for residents in aged care.”
RADAR nurses are available to all RACFs in the Metro North catchment seven days a week, with specialist medical advice available five days a week. For more information visit the RADAR referral website.
We wish all health professionals working with and supporting our older patients a very happy International Day of the Older Person for tomorrow!
