Assessment, Treatment & Rehabilitation (AT&R)

AT&R services provide specialist inpatient services for older people and are dedicated to improving and maintaining their health and independence. Services are a mix of geriatric medicine and rehabilitation for older clients who often have multiple or complex needs.

AT&R services receive referrals for clients from the community/primary care sector and from acute hospital services. They provide care and rehabilitation for older people including those recovering from an injury, illness or age-related conditions such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease.

These services help older people tackle the problems associated with disability or ageing that are affecting their day to day living. Practitioners work with the client and their family to plan care and to help the client achieve their healthcare goals. The AT&R team may include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists, social workers and needs assessors depending on the client’s issues and goals.

A CALD Older Person Assessment Tool is available under Tools and Guidelines at the end of this resource book. This provides tips for practitioners who are assessing the health and social status of older people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The following section provides specific cultural information which is useful for the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of Chinese, South Asian and Middle Eastern older people.