Advance Care Planning

Advance Care Planning is all about thinking about what you would like your healthcare to look like as you grow older. It is the process of working out your preferences, as well as what you don’t want to happen, and then communicating this to your family and your healthcare providers.

Discussing your values and beliefs (as well as your likes and dislikes), will help you decide on what medical treatment you would like in the future. It will also help those around you to understand and carry out your wishes. This is particularly important if ever you find yourself in a position where you cannot speak for yourself.

At Masterton Medical, we have an on-site team of specialist nurses who will guide you through the process of creating an Advance Care Plan. This will involve documenting what is important to you in a record book. The process may take time as you work through your values. When you are ready, your doctor or nurse will sign your Advance Care Plan and take two copies – one for the practice and one for the hospital. The original is for you to keep.

Advance Care Planning is recommended for everyone – young and old. However, the best time to create an Advance Care Plan is when you are fit and healthy.

Masterton Medical holds a free Advance Care Clinic on the last Thursday of every month.
If you would like to find out more about creating an Advance Care Plan or would like to visit our monthly clinic, please ring us on 06-370 0011.

Asthma and Diabetes

Asthma and Respiratory

Asthma is increasingly common in NZ.  Making a plan with your GP or Practice Nurse on how to manage your asthma is the best way to live a full and active life.  Linked to our focus on managing asthma is our Smoke Cessation programmes.

Diabetes

Having diabetes means you need to take greater care of yourself.  There’s more to it than just blood sugar – other health risks are raised as well.
Find out if you have a high risk of having or developing diabetes:

    Do any two of these fit you?

    • European, 40 years of age or older
    • Diabetes in your family (Grandparents, parents, brothers or sisters)
    • Maori, Asian, Middle Eastern or Pacific Island descent, aged 30 years or older
    • High blood pressure
    • Overweight (especially if you carry most of your weight around your waist)
    • Diagnosed as having Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)

    If so, you should have your blood glucose tested by a health professional once every year. And make the following changes to reduce your risk:

    • Stay physically active and get regular daily exercise (walking is good)
    • Eat healthy food
    • Keep your weight in a healthy range

Wellness

Our Wellness Clinics ‘Guided Care’ is a primary care initiative partially funded by the Ministry of Health.  It is designed to enhance care for patients who have high health needs.  This programme is designed to reduce visits to the doctor by managing chronic illness such as asthma, diabetes and obesity more efficiently.

As well as respiratory, diabetes and cardiac clinics run weekly, we have the wellness clinic which covers patients with any of the above or multiple health problems. This also includes an out reach clinic for those  needing closer follow up at home who are in the Masterton township.

Goals are set and a care plan is developed for each patient.  A partnership is encouraged where the patient and health team work to achieve the health goals.

There is a strong focus on education and preventative care.

Each patient has four designated appointments, three months apart, throughout the year. which are subsidised.

Please contact one of our nurses if you would like to know more about the programme.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Are you at risk of cardiovascular disease?

    • Family history of cardiovascular disease
    • Smoker or ex smoker
    • High blood pressure
    • Your lipid profile
    • Increased Body Mass Index or central obesity
    • Diabetes or family history of diabetes or are at risk of developing diabetes
    • Polycystic ovary syndrome

Cardiovascular risk assessments – who should be screened?

Males

  • Maori, Pacific peoples and people from the Indian subcontinent
    Age 35 Years
  • People with known cardiovascular risk factors or at high risk of developing diabetes
    Age 35 Years
  • People without known cardiovascular risk factors
    Age 45 Years

Females

  • Maori, Pacific peoples and people from the Indian subcontinent
    Age 45 Years
  • People with known cardiovascular risk factors or at high risk of developing diabetes
    Age 45 Years
  • People without known cardiovascular risk factors
    Age 55 Years