A patient and a member of the GEDI team
Queensland seniors have played a vital role in shaping our communities and continue to be the heart and soul of our state—whether through their volunteer work, their roles in the workforce, their leadership, caregiving, or their involvement as grandparents and advocates.
The importance of taking care of our older people is deeply understood by the dedicated nurses at the Metro South Health (MSH) Geriatric Emergency Department Initiative (GEDI), who are marking five years of the GEDI program across all MSH facilities.
Chair of the GEDI Collaborative Terry Nash said they offer a comprehensive assessment of the health needs of a person by taking a holistic approach – understanding the difficulties a person experiences at home, family and community and connecting clients to the right support.
“GEDI Clinical Nurses are fierce advocates for appreciating the complexity of our older community dwelling patients and improving their outcomes,” said Terry.
“My favourite part of the job is watching our nursing teams become more passionate about their patients every day. They proactively seek out ways to help our patients – predict potential medication errors, find community supports to assist in ageing well at home, identify delirium and falls risks.”
“It can be challenging to keep up the momentum for quality improvement with so many competing demands in an ever more complex health care system. When wait times increase, our older patients require more attention to the basics of care – eating, walking, engaging, in order to prevent preventable harms – but I’m proud that our GEDI and CAREPACT teams are there to assist in any way they can.”
Nurses Jomy Anto-James and Phoebe Francey are passionate about supporting their clients and view Seniors Month in October and Grandparents Day on Sunday, October 27, as a perfect occasion to honour and celebrate older Australians.
“I love sitting with a patient and hearing about their unique and beautiful stories. We also work closely with the volunteer ‘Skywalkers’ at Logan who will sit with a patient and chat to them when we can’t,” said Jomy.
Phoebe says she loves the challenge of working within the Multidisciplinary team to assist the patient and their family during a difficult time.
“I bring a strong inter-generational connection from my own family to my role. I am lucky enough to still have my grandmother ‘Peggy” who is 102 years old. My parents are also a huge influence in my children’s life, and I feel so very lucky to be able to share this time with them,” said Phoebe.
The GEDI teams kicked off the month by celebrating the United Nations International Day of Older Persons. Each of the MSH sites distributed thank you cards and gifts to older patients, honouring their contributions and experiences in our society. This was also a great opportunity for staff to engage in meaningful conversations about how we can best support older individuals within MSH.
To find Queensland Seniors Month events and activities near you, visit https://qldseniorsmonth.org.au/