Local geriatricians Dr Katie French and Dr Tabitha Hartwell opened South Coast Specialist Health Care in October to provide a multidisciplinary centre focused on the wellbeing of the region's elderly.

Dr French said it was important to add a specialist service to the region to support the Shoalhaven's "rapidly growing" aging population.

"Our aging population is getting older, and there are lots more of them in the community," she said.

"Especially with COVID, we've seen more people move down here, the majority of those are retirees.

"So we're expecting the issue to grow rather than slow down anytime soon.

"Any more services that support elderly people and the aging process will take some of the burden off the hospital system."

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At this stage, the centre offers consultant geriatric reviews and aims to expand to offer a range of holistic services targeting the wellbeing of people aged 65 and over.

"We're hoping to build a specialist centre for the community," said Dr Hartwell.

"We're looking at having allied health and other subspecialists who may fit the needs of an aging populations.

"Potentially having some exercise physiology, hopefully...neurologists, and psychiatrists.

"At the moment, we're just starting with the two of us."

Dr Hartwell said she hopes to see more specialty centres open in the Shoalhaven so residents can access health services locally, rather than having to travel.

"One of our aims is to encourage more subspecialty uptake down here," said Dr Hartwell.

"There many specialties that are desperately needed in the Shoalhaven.

"People may be unable to go out to Wollongong and Sydney and would very much prefer to be seen locally.

"We would like to see over the next few years that that changes."

South Coast Specialist Health Care is located at 5 Moss St, Nowra, and is open Wednesdays and Fridays.

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