Aged Care Department
The Department of Aged Care offers medical treatment to frail, co-morbid older patients with a range of conditions, often including cognitive impairment, functional decline and mobility problems. The aged care service is multidisciplinary and offers inpatient hospital care and outpatient clinics. Our staff provide comprehensive geriatric assessment to assist our patients to live safely in the community whether in their own homes, or in aged care facilities.
Administration staff who will help you organise your appointments, inform you about what will happen and answer any questions you may have.
Doctors who will assess, treat and help you manage your medical condition.
Our team includes:
Professor Peter Smerdely, A/Prof Louise Baird, Dr Yun Xu, Dr Sarah Baldwin, Dr Nick Cordato, Dr Chris Dedousis, Dr Aneesha Gill, Dr Jayita De, Dr Caroline Chau, Dr Mike Wang, Dr Tony Youssef, Dr Litsa Morfis, Dr Kannie Chuang, Dr Grant Pickard, Dr Madeleine Cameron, Dr Madeleine Wilkinson, Dr Dan Wong, Dr Sarah Ong, Dr Marissa Antony.
Our Inpatient Hospital Ward service includes our:
Ward Nursing staff skilled in geriatrics and our Clinical Nurse Consultant.
Physiotherapists who assess mobility, falls risks, help treat injuries and work with you to develop an exercise plan.
Occupational Therapists who assess your functional ability and assist you to help manage in your home.
Dieticians provide information and advice about nutrition and what to eat to help improve your health.
Our skilled Social Work team to assist with complex social issues.
Diversional Therapy
Speech Pathology to assist in the management of swallowing disorders.
Monday to Friday
8.00am - 4.30pm
Older adult patients with complex medical conditions, often including dementia and memory problems. We provide medical care for older people, including memory, falls and social assessments. We manage complex medical conditions and their interactions in older people using a face to face consultation, clinical and other assessments.
To access this service, patients require a referral from their GP for assessment of problems in older persons.
Geriatric Flying service for the acute care of the elderly in Aged Care facilities.
Quick Response Team of allied health staff for rapid assessment of acute issues in our elderly patients at home.
Hospital In The Home (HITH) for the provision of medical care in the home.
Our specialty geriatrics outpatient clinics are available every day of the week at 2 locations - in both the Hospital Outpatients, Prince William Wing (02 9113 2423) and within the Aged Care building at 3 Chapel St (02 9113 2183).
Monday: Dr Xu and Dr Chuang 13:00 - 16:30 (Outpatients Dept)
Tuesday: Dr Youssef 09:00 - 12:00 (Aged Care Dept)
Wednesday: Dr Morfis and Dr Wilkinson 09:00 - 12:00 (Outpatients Dept), Dr Baird 09:00 - 12:00 (Aged Care Dept), Perioperative and Bariatric 14:00 - 17:00 (Aged Care Dept)
Thursday: Dr Cordato and Prof Smerdely 13:00 - 16:00 (Aged Care Dept), Dr Pickard 12:00 - 16:00 (Outpatients Dept)
Friday: Dr Baldwin 09:00 - 12:00 (Outpatients Dept)
Can I choose the day and time I attend the department for my appointment?
We have doctor clinics, allied health clinics and nursing clinics at set times. We try to find an appointment time that allows you to attend.
Will I always see the same doctor at each visit?
The St George Hospital is a teaching hospital so you will be seen by a specialist doctor or a specialist doctor in training. You will stay under the care of the specialist doctor but you may see the doctor in training for your appointments.
Who can I bring with me to my appointment?
There is limited seating so please bring along only one support person (for example, a family member, friend or carer) with you.
You will need a referral letter from your local general practitioner (GP) or specialty doctor to use this service. Please ask them to write you a referral letter explaining your medical history, relevant test results, X-ray results and what medicines you are taking.
We will then send you a letter in the post with the details of your appointment date, time and location. If an appointment cannot be made we will send you a letter confirming that you are on the outpatient waiting list for the next available appointment. Please let us know if your address and/or phone number changes.
If you need to change or cancel your appointment please telephone 02 9113 2183.
Waiting times for an appointment are different for each specialty and depends on the seriousness of your medical condition. The department is busy and there may be delays when you arrive for your appointment. Most people are seen within 1 to 3 hours. We ask that you arrive at your allocated appointment time to prevent having to wait longer.
Appointment Reminders
If we have your mobile phone number in our system you will receive a text message reminding you of your appointment date and time 3 days before your appointment.
- Current Medicare card or Veterans Affairs card
- Any Health Care card, Pensioner Concession card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card
- Insurer details (eg workers compensation, public liability or third party)
- Your private health fund membership card if you are currently insured with a private health fund
- Recent X-rays or medical images and their reports, if applicable
- Activities to keep you entertained while waiting (for example, a book, music player with headphones, crosswords). There is also a television and magazines available in the waiting area.
- If you have any particular medical needs we suggest you come prepared (for example, bring your medicines, if you are diabetic please bring food).
- To avoid missing your appointment we suggest you collect refreshments from the cafes location in the foyer of the hospital before checking in. If you need to leave the waiting area for any reason please inform staff at the reception desk.
My Aged Care - https://www.myagedcare.gov.au
Dementia Australia - https://www.dementia.org.au
Stepping On - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/stepping-on
Forward with dementia - https://www.forwardwithdementia.org.au
Australian Dementia Clinics - https://www.australiandementianetwork.org.au
We are a teaching hospital for UNSW Medicine and Health and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a medical student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no. If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us by telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.