Cabrini’s community care offering, Cabrini At Home, provides a valuable service to patients allowing them to recover in the comfort of their own homes – which is especially important at Christmas time.

Cabrini has one of the most comprehensive community care offerings in the private sector and has seen exceptional growth in recent years – now making more than 20,000 patient visits per annum across its programs, which include: Hospital in the Home, Rehabilitation in the Home, Chemotherapy In the Home, Post Acute Care, Palliative Homecare, Neuro-oncology At Home and the Cognition and Dementia nursing service.

Cabrini is unique in that it doesn’t outsource any of its services to other providers, enabling a seamless experience for patients. The team is committed to innovation and catering to the evolving models of care needed to best support our community. For example, Cabrini’s Neuro-oncology At Home service is the only one of its kind in Australia and one of only a few globally. Cabrini was also the first private provider of palliative homecare in Australia.

Healthcare in a home setting is a growing area across the industry – and with an aging population is a potential solution to hospital bed shortages. As James Pollard, Cabrini’s Clinical Director of Community Care and President of Hospital in the Home Society Australasia notes – it’s estimated home services provided in Victoria are equivalent to what a 1000-bed facility could offer in one year.

“At home care is critical to the sustainability of the public and private hospital sectors. It is something you can scale without needing to spend five years and a billion dollars building a new hospital. You can incrementally grow as demand rises, it’s a very scalable model. There’s also no doubt that patients want this – they want care in their own homes,” James said.

Michelle Horsnell, Cabrini At Home Program Director, says this year has seen a strong uptake of all services, with Rehab in the Home and Chemo in the Home seeing some of the strongest growth. “I am very proud to continue building innovative and holistic models of care in the community. All of our programs continue to be extremely busy in December and the benefits for patients become even more apparent at Christmas time,” said Michelle.

Healthcare at home certainly has advantages. It is convenient – you don’t have to organise transport (following surgery, many people can’t drive for weeks), find a carpark or worry about making it to appointments on time – factors that are heightened in the busy lead up to Christmas. Many patients find it more comfortable to be in their own familiar surroundings (and bed), not to mention the absence of the other disruptions you might find in a hospital setting. They can relax more which is conducive to recovery. At this time of year, it’s easier to be around family and friends in the home and there are no visiting hour restrictions or limits on spending time with family.

Interestingly, patients treated at home often do just as well, if not better, than those treated at hospital. Amber Colin, a physiotherapist who works in Cabrini’s Rehabilitation in the Home program, provides insights into why this might be. “In the home-based setting, I can really tailor my treatment to the patient’s specific needs and long-term goals in a way that can’t be done in the inpatient setting. I find that patients are often more engaged this way, as they can see the relevance of my advice and the exercises I prescribe, to help them get back to the activities they enjoy,” Amber said.

One of Amber’s patients, Virginia Anastasopoulos (63) who has just undergone a total right knee replacement through Cabrini’s orthopaedic services, is a passionate supporter of home care.

Amber visits Virginia a couple of times a week, providing tailored exercises and mobility advice. Virginia doesn’t need much encouragement to do her knee rehabilitation exercises, though. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to my gym and doing water aerobics and weights, and getting on the treadmill. I also love my beach walks, so that’s a great motivator,” Virginia said.

With Virginia’s healthy and positive approach to life, she is particularly excited about being actively involved in Christmas festivities at her daughter’s place. “Christmas lunch is a big occasion for our family, with over 20 guests including my sister, three children and two grandchildren all coming together. If I do my exercises diligently, I should only need one crutch for support on Christmas Day,” she said enthusiastically.

Read Virginia’s full story