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Geriatric Medicine

The Department of Geriatric Medicine provides acute, day hospital, rehabilitation, community liaison and nursing home outreach services to patients from the local catchment area.

The department – which was founded in 1973 by Dr. Denis Keating – has expanded over the years to cater to the changing population demographics. Increasingly it will function as the coordination, information and training hub for services for older patients – as a link between St. Vincent’s University Hospital, St. Columcille’s Hospital,  Loughlinstown and St Michael’s Hospital in Dun Laoghaire – and other local community-based services.

Our on-campus day hospital Caritas House Day Hospital, offers comprehensive geriatric assessment to frail, older people in the community – allowing them to continue living safely and independently at home for as long as possible. This is developed along the plans laid out in the National Clinical Programme for Older People Model of Care document, launched in December 2012.

The department also provides clinical support and advice on the management of geriatric patients admitted on general medical call to the hospital and to the acute medical unit.

Services                     

  • Acute inpatient care and rehabilitation
  • Caritas House day hospital
  • Geriatric outpatient clinics in the day hospital
  • Cognitive/memory clinic
  • Parkinson’s disease clinic
  • Neurovascular clinic – falls and syncope, tilt tests
  • Orthogeriatrics
  • Community liaison service, nursing home inpatient and outreach consultations
  • Off-site rehabilitation services at The Royal Hospital Donnybrook (RHD) and St.Columcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown

Patient Passport helps support people living with dementia and their carers

Being admitted to hospital can be a challenging time for people because of the unfamiliar setting and the sudden change in environment and routine. This change is much harder for people living with dementia. The Patient Passport from SVUH is designed to help patients living with dementia to communicate more easily with their carers.

Patients can fill out the Passport with personal information about themselves such as their normal routine, their interests, what food they like, favourite places – all of which will allow for a more familiar and engaging dialogue between the patient and hospital staff and a more comfortable and safe hospital environment.

Download the Patient Passport here.

SAFE Programme

Watch our video on our SAFE programme. SAFE (Systematic Approach to Improve Care for Frail Older Persons) explores the process of implementing a model of excellence in the delivery of patient-centred integrated care.

Consultants

Specialties include: Acute medicine, general medicine,  stroke, orthogeriatrics, falls and syncope, cognition, Parkinson’s, rehabilitation

Clinics

Please visit the relevant clinic page for dates and times of consultants’ clinics

Referral information

We accept consultant and GP referrals from within our catchment area.  The referrals are reviewed by one of the teams of consultants and directed to the relevant part of the service: i.e. outpatient, day hospital or community outreach service – and issued with the next available appointment.

Other useful contact details

  • Caritas House Day Hospital (administration)
    • tel: (01) 221 4150/4876
  • Caritas House Day Hospital (nurse’s station)
    • tel: (01) 221 4122

Locations

  • Administration Office
    Our Lady’s Ward, 1st Floor
    St. Vincent’s University Hospital
    Elm Park
    Dublin 4
  • Caritas House Day Hospital
    Merrion Road,
    dublin 04
    D04 KX73 (On the grounds of St Mary’s Centre)
  • Community Liaison Office
    Ground Floor
    Herbert Wing corridor
    St. Vincent’s University Hospital

Useful links

Contact

tel:   (01) 221 4549/4584
fax:   (01) 221 4609

Location

Administration Office
Our Lady’s Ward, 1st Floor
St. Vincent’s University Hospital
Elm Park
Dublin 4

Opening Hours

Mon to Fri:  08.30 – 16.00