The annual grey nomad ‘invasion’ is putting medical facilities in many small communities under severe stress … with some experts warning that patient care could suffer.
Demand for health services at grey nomad hotspots goes through the roof in peak seasons, with Broome Hospital, for example, seeing a 58% increase in emergency patients aged over 60 during the colder months.
And it’s a ‘problem’ that’s getting worse. Last winter, emergency presentations at Exmouth Hospital were up 29% compared to the same period in 2011.
“This increase does have the potential to affect patient care, so it’s important that Emergency Departments are left for emergencies only,” warned WA’s Chief health officer, Tarun Weeramanthri.
Health departments try to redeploy resources to cope with seasonal demand – with Exmouth, for example, adding an extra doctor during ‘tourist season’ – but they are appealing for help from travellers.
As more grey nomads than ever start heading north, there are some commonsense precautions they should take. These include packing medications and repeat scripts, storing medications properly, employing a reminder system to ensure medications are taken on time, and bringing a first-aid kit.
Before leaving, travellers should also discuss health issues with their GP, and bring along copies of their medical history. The introduction of a personally controlled electronic health (eHealth) record system – which is still very much in its infancy – should eventually replace paper-based medical records and make life easier for travellers.
The reality is that, whatever precautions they take, a significant proportion of older travellers, will require medical attention while away on long-term trips. Some complain they often face long waits to see GPs at clinics where they are inevitably not regular patients. GPs do have a professional obligation to see patients dependent on clinical need and level of acuity … but many are struggling.
“Like many country areas, we do have a workforce shortage,” said Dr Peter Rischbieth, a practising GP in the South Australian tourist town of Murray Bridge. “Many doctors have clinics on during the day and they are then on call at night … there are fatigue issues.”
Dr Rischbieth, who is also the vice-president of the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia, said grey nomads had to accept that medical systems they encounter while travelling may differ to the ones they are used to in their home states.
“Things are just done differently,” he said. “Some people find that challenging.”
So, given all of the potential issues, should wannabe grey nomads just stay at home?
“No,” said Dr Rischbieth. “Grey nomads should get out there and enjoy it …we all need a balance in our lives.”
