Aims: Timely, person-centred rehabilitation optimises function and facilitates safe discharge in older adults. In February 2025, Alfred Health established Parklands, a 15-bed geriatric rehabilitation ward. To boost rehabilitation intensity within staffing capacity, the allied health team implemented Parkmoves, an interdisciplinary group program targeting functional mobility, activities of daily living, cognition and fatigue. The primary aim was to evaluate the impact Parkmoves had on rehabilitation intensity, and patient and hospital outcomes.
Method: Parkmoves sessions were delivered by an occupational therapist (OT), physiotherapist (PT) or allied health assistant three times weekly for one hour with 2-8 participants in the ward gym. A retrospective audit compared two 7-week periods pre and post implementation. Data included occasions of service, functional outcomes (Functional Independence Measure [FIM] minimal clinically important difference [MCID] 22; Functional Autonomy Measurement System [SMAF] handicap MCID 5) and discharge destination.
Results: The pre-group (n=45) and post-group (n=47) cohorts were comparable in age and risk profiles. Total OT occasions of service increased from 151 to 376; PT from 240 to 335. Mean therapy occasions per patient rose from 16 to 20, with session averaging 22 minutes longer. Functional outcomes improved post implementation (FIM 19 vs 28; SMAF handicap 3 vs 8), meeting clinically meaningful thresholds only after group implementation. Home discharge rates increased from 46% to 66%.
Conclusion: Parkmoves increased therapy intensity and was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in function and discharge outcomes, demonstrating the value of collaborative group therapy in subacute aged care.