Developing inter-agency collaboration for older patients needing rehabilitation.

Inter-agency collaboration is becoming increasingly important in delivering services to elderly people. Collaboration is not easy and careful attention needs to be paid to developing and sustaining the necessary working relations. This paper presents an analysis of what worked in a successful rehabilitation program involving collaboration among a number of acute public hospitals and aged care service providers.

Acute Transition Alliance: rehabilitation at the acute/aged care interface.

The acute/aged care interface has presented many challenges to funders, providers and planners in the health and aged care sectors. Concerns have long been expressed in the aged care sector about the changing needs of clients admitted permanently into residential aged care from hospitals where the decision for placement would often have been made in a crisis situation, without the opportunity to explore appropriate options. This article describes the process and outcomes to date of a collaborative effort between the acute care and aged care sectors in South Australia to develop a more integrated approach to discharge opportunities for older people.