/ Community Services / Primary Health Care and Community Partnerships
Volunteer Program – Volunteers are a vital and valued part of the team at Central Gippsland Health. Volunteers provide assistance in a wide range of areas, including Planned Activity Groups, Community Transport, emergency relief, Friendly Visiting, Delivered Meals, Pink Ladies and Palliative Care. If you are interested in becoming involved as a volunteer, contact the Volunteer Program on 5143 8889.
Community Palliative Care – Palliative care is a family-centred model of care, meaning that family and carers can receive practical and emotional support. Early referral to palliative care can often prolong life and certainly supports a better quality of life. Community Palliative Care may assist with relief of pain and other symptoms, may provide equipment needed to aid care at home, support people to meet cultural obligations and support emotional, social and spiritual concerns.
Generally, the needs of the patient and their carers’ are higher at end of life and increased services and support are essential to ensure quality, coordinated care. Our Community Palliative Care Service offers a service 7 days a week, with on call available overnight and assists people to die with dignity in the environment of their own choice.
Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse – Position funded partly by Big Bloke’s BBQ working under the Prostate Foundations Framework to provide education and support to men and their families in any stage of the prostate cancer journey. This service is provided two days a week.
McGrath Breast Care Nurse – Our McGrath Breast Care Nurse brings patients and their families peace of mind through expert knowledge, personal care and genuine compassion. They can help a create a time in your life not defined by breast cancer. This service is provided three days a week.
District Nursing Services – Available to people of all ages with any medical problem or disability who choose to be cared for in their home. The aim is to encourage clients to achieve a level of independence that will allow them to remain at home. Patients need to be referred by their GP or health facility.
A wide range of services is offered including:
District Nursing Services are also available through our Community Health Clinics at Loch Sport and Rosedale.
Continence Service – Offers a full service of continence assessment from paediatric to aged care, including:
Diabetes Educators –
Maternal and Child Health is available to families with children between the ages of 0 – 6 years. Access is at our range of locations and attendance can be as often as the family feels necessary. Maternal and Child Health Nurses are notified of any births in our area and will make contact with families within five working days of receiving the birth notice to arrange a first visit, which is usually carried out in the home.
Current guidelines recommend that at minimum children attend a centre for key assessments at two, four and eight weeks, then at four, eight, twelve and eighteen months and also at two years and three and a half years of age.
Maternal and Child Health can be contacted on 5143 8814.
Carer Support Groups offer carers the opportunity to meet with other carers. A carer is a person who provides support to an individual who for reasons of illness, trauma, aging or birth, is unable to independently perform activities of daily living. There are an estimated 2.6 million carers in Australia, one in every five households If you need respite to attend meetings, contact the Carer Respite Centre Gippsland on 5143 9888 or on free call 1800 059 059.
Carer support groups meet in Maffra (telephone 5147 0100) Loch Sport (telephone 5146 0349) and Sale (telephone 5143 8889). Call the relevant number for details.
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