New equipment expands Bolton Clarke home care services

Community support has helped Bolton Clarke nurses expand in-home wound care assessments, improving outcomes for clients across Australia.

With support from the Warrandyte Lions Club, the organisation has recently added two new Hadeco Dopplers to its growing fleet of 39 devices, helping community nurses deliver advanced vascular assessments from clients’ homes, supporting targeted wound care.

The portable technology measures blood flow in the feet and lower legs, enabling nurses to identify signs of arterial disease and tailor treatment plans, particularly for clients living with diabetes and other circulatory conditions.

Bolton Clarke Senior Clinical Nurse Adviser Kylie says the technology is already benefiting hundreds of clients nationally.

“There are more than 900 clients nationally with leg ulcers who have, or will, benefit from this testing,” Kylie said.

“These devices are versatile, portable and equipped to measure pressures in both the larger vessels and the smaller vessels in the ankles and feet.

“With these dopplers, our nurses can provide this service in clients’ homes, reducing the need for older people to travel elsewhere for testing.

“They provide a real-time assessment, allowing best-practice care to commence immediately or enabling timely referrals to specialist services where required.

“While it is becoming more common for community nurses to use doppler devices, the additional ability to measure toe pressures allows for more comprehensive vascular assessments.

“Bolton Clarke is also delighted to now be expanding access to this testing through community nursing services in other states for the first time.”

Bolton Clarke Head of Fundraising Alex said the donation demonstrated the real impact of community support in supporting wellbeing and independence for older people.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Warrandyte Lions Club for their generosity in funding these additional two Doppler devices,” Alex said.

“This technology helps our nurses identify issues earlier, deliver targeted care and support better health outcomes for older Australians receiving care at home.”