We are committed to providing the best care for our older patients and consumers, whether that's in hospital or at home.
We work closely with patients, families, carers and kin to explore the full range of treatment options and identify what’s right for each person.
Why we may recommend at-home care
Your care team may recommend that you receive the treatment you need from home instead of in hospital.
That's because hospital stays can carry risks for older people, particularly those aged over 65 years, or over 50 for First Nations people. These may include delirium, falls and hospital-acquired functional decline.
By remaining at home where possible, patients can:
- stay strong, active and independent
- maintain social and community connections
- recover in a more comfortable and familiar environment
If you do need to stay in the hospital, your care team may encourage you to stay active and do as many tasks for yourself as you can.
This is to help keep you mobile and support your health and recovery.
[Music]
[Title card: Best care of older persons at the RMH]
[Text on screen: Catherine Humphrey, Project lead, Best care of older persons]
Catherine: "At the Royal Melbourne Hospital, we're committed to providing the very best care for our older people. That includes people who are over 65 or over 50 for our First Nations people."
[Text on screen: Dr Kate Gregorevic, Geriatrician]
Dr Kate: "Everyone at the Royal Melbourne comes to work and wants to do their job really well, especially when it comes to our patients.
"I think we all recognise that for a lot of older adults, there are risks of being in hospital. This includes delirium, falls, functional decline."
[Text on screen: Dr Kwang Lim, Medical Director of Home First]
Dr Kwang: "An older patient is very susceptible to hospital-acquired functional decline. Ten days in a hospital bed is equivalent to ten years of muscle aging in an older patient.
"It's critical that patients are managed in a timely manner and that they return home as soon as possible."
Dr Kate Gregorevic: "For many people, home is the best place for recovery and the place people want to be. It's also so important that older adults have access to great health care."
[Text on screen: Marissa Lamana, Nurse Unit Manager, Ward 5 South East]
Marissa: "Sometimes hospital is the best place to receive care, but sometimes there are other options available.
"It is important that we take the time and work with patients and their families to find out what's the best option for them."
[Text on screen: Alison, Daughter and carer]
Alison: "Mum and I work together as a team. I felt confident we could do this at home. I knew who to call if we needed any assistance."
[Text on screen: Jane, Patient]
Jane: "The staff at the hospital and I decided together what our rehabilitation should look like so that we could get home as soon as we could."
Dr Kate: "At the Royal Melbourne, we are looking at how we can put systems in place so that people can access these programs faster, sometimes without even needing to be admitted to a hospital inpatient ward first.
"So many people are doing wonderful work in this area and we want to make sure that everyone has the skills and confidence to feel like they're giving the best care possible to older adults."
Catherine: "Over the coming months, the Royal Melbourne will be working with our consumers and our clinicians to ensure that we deliver the best possible care to our older people, whether that be in hospital or in their home."
[Music]
[End screen: The Royal Melbourne Hospital, ‘Best care of older persons’, produced by Medical Photography Studio 2025]
Our care services
We have a range of services to make sure our older patients receive the best and most appropriate care for their needs:
- RMH@Home Acute
- RMH@Home Subacute
- Community Therapy Services
- Hospital Admission Risk Program
- Older Adult Community Team
- Older Persons Care Hub
- Post Acute Care
- Residential In Reach
- Virtual Hospital and Virtual Ward
We are continually expanding our services to create more ways for older people to access care, minimise unnecessary time in hospital and recover as early as possible.