Falls, Falls Risk, Poor Balance and Dizziness
Adult

Falls and Balance Clinic

Useful Management Information

  • The Falls and Balance Clinic provides a comprehensive individualized and multi-disciplinary assessment to screen for the factors contributing to a client’s falls risk. Once these factors have been identified, the team are able to refer to appropriate services to address these factors, thus reducing the rate of falls and falls-related complications.
  • Telehealth appointments for initial assessment are generally not appropriate for this cohort of patients; however, telehealth review appointments can be negotiated under special circumstances.
  • The multidisciplinary team consists of: Senior Staff Specialist, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Geriatric Pharmacist and Vestibular Physiotherapist.
  • This service is free.
  • Patient must be over 18 years
  • Evidence for fall prevention strategies:
    • exercise
    • high dose vitamin D
    • psychoactive medication withdrawal (particularly antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines)
    • occupational therapy home visit
    • restricted multifocal spectacle use
    • expedited cataract surgery (where required)
    • podiatry assessment and intervention
    • multifactorial assessment with targeted interventions (including referral to physiotherapist, occupational therapist and/or dietitian as appropriate).

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)
  • Two or more falls in the previous month
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Two or more falls in previous 12 months
  • Falls as part of an overall decline in physical, social or psychological function
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • No category 3 criteria
  • If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes the patient requires specialist review, a clinical override may be requested:
    • Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
  • Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service

Essential Referral Information

  • Relevant medical history, comorbidities and medications (including an assessment of adherence)
  • Number of falls in the previous 12 months
  • Assessment of cognitive function (MMSE, MOCA or other validated tool) in patients ≥ 65 years of age
  • Pathology: FBC, ELFT, TSH, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3

If a specific test result cannot be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons a clinical override may be requested. This reason must be clearly articulated in the body of the referral.

Additional Referral Information

  • Existing psychosocial issues and supports (family, carers, home services, etc)
  • Copies of discharge summaries and outpatient letters relating to hospitalisations for falls, or visits to other private specialists, or home assessments
  • Bone Mineral Densitometry report if available
  • Home medications review report if available
Last updated 5 October 2021

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Send to: Gold Coast Adult Community Health QHealth

Internal Referrals

Not accepted

Fax

07 5687 4497

Post

Central Intake Unit
Robina Health Precinct
Level 4, 2 Campus Crescent
Robina QLD 4226

Enquiries

07 5635 6262

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

Service Availability

Dr Arif Alam
Medical Director Falls and Balance Clinic, Cognitive Disorders Service, Geriatric Medicine

Facilities

Robina Health Precinct

If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

Gold Coast Health - For Clinicians
© The State of Queensland 1995-2021 | Queensland Government
Queensland Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land and pays respect to Elders past, present and future.