Care of the Elderly/Geriatrics

Acute Inpatient

Our acute inpatient services are provided primarily through our Whitworth and Laurence Wards with a focus on comprehensive geriatric assessment and multidisciplinary care. Our Emergency Department prioritises the admission of older people with complex needs.

Older Persons Day Hospital

Our services include acute inpatient services through our Whitworth and Laurence’s wards, general geriatric medicine clinics, day hospital clinics, fracture liaison clinic, bone health unit, community integrated care team, and post- acute rehabilitation. We also provide liaison services to orthopaedics, the Emergency Department, and nursing homes.

Rehabilitation (SJRU/Clontarf)

Multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation is provided for people aged 65 or older at St Joseph’s, Raheny (20 beds), and the Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital, Clontarf (32 beds). Additional rehabilitation beds are available for Beaumont patients at St Mary’s Hospital, Phoenix Park. 

We aim to provide person-centred, goal- orientated rehabilitation to enhance our patients’ independence and quality of life.

Emergency Department Liaison

Our department provides a regular consultant-led liaison service to the Emergency Department. With early specialist multidisciplinary input in select patients, we aim to redirect admissions to the hospital, using safe alternative pathways. We work closely with the frailty intervention team and specialist nurses to deliver a focussed and comprehensive assessment.

Orthogeriatric Liaison

Through our orthopaedic ward we lead a liaison service for older patients, with particular focus on high risk hip fracture patients. Our patients are seen regularly by our team, for medical review, discharge planning, and falls and bone health assessment. We drive excellence in local standards of care (per the hip fracture database) governed by the Irish Office of Clinical Audit.

OPD Clinics

We have clinics every day, offering comprehensive medical, cognitive and functional assessments at Beaumont Hospital and St Joseph’s Day Hospital, Raheny. A multidisciplinary team provides outpatient services at St Joseph’s Day Hospital for patients on referral from a geriatrician.

Integrated Care Team for Older People (ICPOP)

ICPOP Dublin North provides geriatrician-led assessment and rehabilitation to patients in their own home or at monthly outreach clinics in Balbriggan Primary Care Centre. Referrals are from Beaumont Emergency Department, local GPs and primary care teams. The community virtual ward nurse specialist accepts referral of St Joseph’s Day Hospital patients who need home-based care.

Fracture Liaison

The Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) and a dexa scan service which are run by our Geriatric Medicine Department. The FLS identifies new low-trauma fracture patients and runs bone health clinics, including ‘one-stop’ assessment clinics alongside dexa scans. The service aims to reduce re-fracture rates by addressing bone health and falls risk. Beaumont FLS contributes to the Irish National FLS Database.

Nursing Home Liaison

Our team provides specialist assessment, advice and clinical support to primary care teams who care for older nursing home residents. We offer outreach to local nursing homes and in-reach to nursing home residents admitted to Beaumont hospital, to assist in decision making and discharge planning. The team consists of a consultant geriatrician, an advanced nurse practitioner, 2 clinical nurse specialists and an occupational therapist.