Queensway Carleton Geriatric Day Hospital (GDH) is a specialized geriatric outpatient program providing care to older adults 65 years and older who are living in Ottawa’s West End and surrounding areas. The GDH provides assessment, treatment and recommendations regarding many areas related to health and day to day living such as mobility, falls, memory, day to day activities, medications, medical concerns, driving safety, social issues, safety/home environment and care partner support. GDH’s goals are to help older adults achieve optimal health, avoid hospital visits, and to help older adults maintain independence and safety in the home for as long as possible.

 


Team and Roles

  • Physicians: are highly skilled and passionate about adult care and work diligently to assess, diagnose, and manage treatment plans. GDH Physicians collaborate with the interprofessional team to provide patients with information, recommendations, and the support needed to assist with important health care decisions and to ensure exceptional patient care.
  • Registered Nurse (RN): is the primary contact to patients and care partners throughout their journey at GDH. The RN provides comprehensive health assessments and health teaching, and advocates for positive patient outcomes and provides exceptional nursing assessment and interventions.
  • Physiotherapist (PT): helps patients optimize their mobility, function, and well-being by developing a tailored program for each patient while considering their abilities, needs, and focuses on conditioning, strengthening and balance training. Patients can expect to participate in individual and/or group exercise. Patients are encouraged to continue to exercise regularly upon discharge from the program through community-based programs, on their own, or with a personal trainer.
  • Occupational Therapist (OT): assesses skills related to a person’s daily routine including cognitive skills, self-care, home management, and safety in the home. The OT provides an individualized assessment based on the person’s daily routine and goals. Recommendations and treatment programs are provided to help patients achieve and maintain their greatest level of independence.
  • Social Worker (SW): assesses and provides brief counseling, education, support and resource information to patients and care partners to enhance a patient’s vitality and quality of life. If required, the SW can assist with providing information on relocation options to patients and care partners.
  • Administrative Assistant: is responsible for all clerical tasks including booking appointments, record-keeping, coordinating meetings, and ensures exceptional communication between team members, patients, and care partners.

Eligibility Criteria

  • 65 years or older
  • Medically stable
  • Independent or assistance of one person to mobilize and transfer
  • Requires specialized geriatric assessment and intervention
  • Has valid Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage
  • Consents to the GDH Referral
  • Lives within the community (house, apartment, retirement home)
  • Has two or more needs to be addressed based on the following:
    • Having frequent falls
    • Having difficulty getting in and out of a chair
    • Having difficulty understanding and/or managing own medications
    • Changes with thinking/cognitive skills, memory issues that are impacting daily activities
    • Having challenges with bathing and dressing
    • Concerns with safety at home
    • Concerns with driving safety
    • Requires guidance with future planning
    • Experiencing mood changes
    • Care partner is experiencing significant stress

 

GDH Referral Process

  • QCH in-patients who are in the process of being discharged, can be referred to GDH by any interdisciplinary team member by completing the GDH Referral Form.
  • Older adults not in hospital: A physician referral is required. Physicians can refer to GDH through the Central Intake for Specialize Geriatric Services (SGS) website. www.rgpeo.com/services/central-intake
  • Once the Central Intake SGS Referral is submitted, Central Intake will triage the referral to ensure that the older adult receives the most appropriate specialized geriatric service.
  • For questions about the GDH program or referral process, please call 613-721-3808.

 

What to Expect

  • Patients start with an initial 60–90-minute assessment appointment with the GDH Registered Nurse.
  • The second appointment is 60–90-minute assessment with the GDH Physician.
  • Additional appointments may be required with the Physiotherapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Registered Nurse (RN), and/or Social Worker (SW).


Program Structure

  • GDH program is a short-term, appointment-based program.
  • The GDH admission and length of stay in the program is personalized and dependent on each older adult's needs.
  • Once a patient is discharged from the program, they can be re-referred by following the referral process steps as above, if further concerns arise.


The Patient’s Responsibilities Upon Admission

  • Patients are required to report any respiratory or gastric symptoms during a screening call.
  • Patients are expected to keep and attend their scheduled GDH appointments.
  • If unable to attend an appointment, patients are expected to call GDH as soon as possible.
  • Please note: GDH has a cancellation policy for no-show appointments. Upon admission to the program, this policy is reviewed with new patients and care partners.

 

The Patient’s Rights

 

Contact Information

Queensway Carleton Geriatric Day Hospital
2039 Robertson Road, Suite 100
Ottawa, ON K2H 8R2
Phone: 613-721-3808
Fax: 613-721-4767