About our services
Nursing care is provided at home or in a nursing centre to people who
- need help to manage a long term or chronic condition or illness
- need follow-up care after day surgery or a period in hospital
- are at the end stage of a terminal illness and need palliative care
Our services focus on the needs of
- older persons who are frail or who have a chronic or degenerative illness and need nursing care to remain in the community
- people of any age who need care immediately following their discharge from hospital/day surgery
- people of any age needing palliative care
- people of any age who have a disability and who need nursing assistance to manage their health care needs
- people aged under 65 years with a degenerative or chronic condition (such as wounds, ulcers, cancers, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease) and who with nursing care are able to remain in the community
Our nurses will work in partnership with you to identify and achieve the best possible health goals.
Your goals, possible treatment options and nursing care plans will be worked out with you over the first nursing visits. These will be continually reviewed as changes in your condition occur.
Nursing care is provided in the care setting (home or nursing centre) which best meets you needs.
Updating your visit schedule and care plan
RDNS uses a computer program to provide our nurses with their daily work schedules. To make sure the information is up to date, we ask our nurses to telephone our computer operators to advise any changes to your visit schedule or care plan as and when they occur. Your visiting nurse will ask if you have a telephone that they could use to ring in your updated information. If a telephone is available they will ring an 1800 number - calls to this number will not cost you anything.
If you do not have a telephone the nurse will advise any changes at the end of the day. Whichever way your information is recorded it will not affect the care we provide to you
Support for families and carers
Families and friends provide regular and ongoing care for many people who have a short or long term illness, or who are frail or disabled.
Your care and support is invaluable and we will do whatever we can in terms of information, education and support to help you in your caring role.
RDNS offers a Carer Needs Assessment to all carers. We recommend that carers consider a completing a needs assessment as early as possible in their caring career - to help carers take on a caring role and to prevent or reduce carer strain.
Arranging for nursing care when you leave hospital
RDNS has Hospital Liaison services to metropolitan public hospitals and private hospitals.
The RDNS Hospital Liaison nurse assists communication with hospital staff if an RDNS client needs to go to hospital and will also help to arrange the care you need when you go home from hospital.
For information on other services visit our web site: www.rdns.org.au
