ABOUT US
The SGM Clinic itself is an out-patient service.
We also cater for in-patient geriatric and psychogeriatric services for patients from the clinic or those referred from colleagues. Drs van Heerden and Retief admits patients with dementia, behavioural problems and those with depression and other psychiatric difficulties to Life St. Vincent’s at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital. Having a close relationship with the SGM clinic, Life St. Vincent’s has developed a service and therapeutic program to include elderly patients. The unit has a free dementia support group for families and an Occupational Therapy program for elderly inpatients with cognitive impairment. Those older individuals, without significant cognitive impairment joins the mainstream therapeutic program. When indicated, the unit will appoint full time carers to elderly patients during admission.
Our main goals of care at the clinic are to provide a comprehensive geriatric assessment to assess, diagnose and investigate geriatric medical and psychiatric conditions appropriately, in a patient- centred way that restores health and independence. Where this is not possible, to optimise function, minimise dependence and improve quality of life by treating and managing these conditions with the older person and their family when needed.
Our doctors have a multidisciplinary network of colleagues including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists and neuropsychologists who are available for referral if needed.
Please contact us if you are over 60 years old or have a family member or friend who is, and you are concerned about any of the following:
1. For our Geriatricians:
- Healthy ageing and staying fit and well
- Wanting a comprehensive geriatric assessment
- Memory loss and dementia assessments
- Instability and falls
- Immobility and loss of function
- Incontinence
- Multiple medications
- Planning for future care and well being
- Psychological symptoms associated with normal aging
- Driving assessments
- Multiple medical conditions which seem too difficult to manage
- Formal capacity assessments for Curatorship Applications
2. For our Psychogeriatrician:
- Memory loss and new dementia assessments
- Psychiatric symptoms in any existing neuropsychiatric disorder including (but not limited to) Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Body Disease, Epilepsy and Post Stroke complications
- Psychiatric symptoms co-occuring with any existing medical disease including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Any new psychiatric symptoms in a person over 60 years including depression and anxiety
- Any person over 60 with existing psychiatric disease including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and psychosis
- Psychological symptoms associated with normal aging
- Bereavement
- Planning for future care and well being
- Driving assessments
- Formal capacity assessments for Curatorship Applications
3. For our Neuropsychiatrist:
- Memory loss and new dementia assessments
- Psychiatrist symptoms in any existing neuropsychiatric disorder including Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Body Disease, epilepsy, post stroke complications, traumatic brain injury, HIV, SLE, Multiple sclerosis and neurosyphilis
- Psychiatric symptoms co-occuring with an existing medical disease including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- General psychiatric difficulties such as anxiety, depression and psychosis
- Formal capacity assessment
- Curatorship application assessments