Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has opened its first wellness clinic for the elderly. The preventive medicine clinic aims at providing integrated medical, rehabilitation and psychological care within the framework of the healthy aging priority under the National Health Strategy 2018-2022.
The Elderly Wellness Clinic includes a consultant in the specialty of Community Medicine and Preventive Medicine, a consultant of Internal Medicine for the elderly, a physiotherapist and a dietician, in addition, to a nursing team specialised in the field of elderly health. The clinic receives referred patients aged 60 and above on Mondays and the frequency shall increase upon expansion of the clinic.
Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, Qatar’s National Health Strategy lead for Healthy Ageing and medical director of QRI, attributed the opening of the clinic as part of the ongoing efforts to develop specialised care for the growing segment of the elderly population in Qatar.

 

HMC's Qatar Rehabilitation Institute

 

"The Elderly Wellness Clinic helps them improve their lifestyle in terms of health, psychological and physical aspects. The elderly category continues to grow and as an important segment of the society requires healthcare providers to develop specialised preventive and treatment programmes that deal with the chronic health problems that have become more widespread, such as weakness or frailty, dementia, musculoskeletal mass atrophy, difficulty of movement and falling".
Currently, the clinic operates on medical referral system from Hamad Medical Corporation facilities while in the future will receive patients referred from the Primary Health Care Corporation clinics. Patients can also book new appointments through the Appointments Department. The service is available within the Outpatient Department of QRI on a weekly basis, where it receives around 30 patients over the age of 60 per month.
Dr Noura al-Kaabi, community medicine consultant, HMC and head of the Elderly Wellness Clinic, explained that the availability of multidisciplinary teams to provide assessment for elderly patients at QRI has contributed to the opening of the Wellness Clinic.
"With diversity of the health, psychological and movement problems associated with the elderly group, the preventive or treatment programme may continue for several months, as the follow-up shall be carried out in the clinic at the rate of a monthly visit with an additional visit six months after the first visit," Dr Noura added.

Last updated: January 27 2021 12:23 AM