Older Person's Health

Older Person's Health services aim to promote wellness and quality of life to assist older people to age positively.

As people age they may require assistance to remain independent. Assistance can be provided through support services into the family home; or supported living arrangements. If independence cannot be maintained, elderly people may have the option of entering age related residential care.

District Health Boards (DHBs) promote the concept of older people remaining in the community where possible. This is referred to as 'ageing in place' and is an integral part of the New Zealand Health of Older People Strategy (2002), a guiding document for Southern DHB.

DHB-funded aged care services (also known as Disability Support Services [DSS]), are available for people aged 65 and older who have long-term support needs. A range of services are available to assist elderly people remain in the community, or where appropriate, receive long-term residential care. These services are also available to a small group of people aged 50 to 64 who have been assessed as being "close in interest" to older people.

Southern DHB funds a number of community health providers, via contracts, to deliver these aged care services to the Southland community.

ACCESSING DHB-FUNDED AGED CARE SERVICES:

To access all DHB-funded aged care services (including domestic and personal help, carer support, respite care and age related residential care), you must first be assessed by Southern DHB's Needs Assessment and Service Coordination team. The Needs Assessment and Service Coordination service is the entry point for all older people wishing to access disability support services (aged care services).

Please note that disability support services for people aged under 65 years (who have life long disabilities) are funded directly by the Ministry of Health. See the Ministry of Health's Disability webpages for further information regarding disability support services for under 65 year olds.