A report said that a scheme brought to England from the United States to reduce unplanned emergency hospital admissions for frail elderly people might not work as originally intended. Although popular with patients and carers, the scheme had no significant impact on rates of emergency admission, length of stay, or mortality.
Source: Ruth Boaden et al., Evercare Evaluation: Final Report, National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (0161 275 0611)
Links: Report | Summary | NPCRDC press release | BMJ article | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Dec
A new book examined the issues and ethical dilemmas faced at the end of life, such as: withholding and withdrawing treatment; euthanasia and assisted suicide; terminal sedation; the role of autonomy; and palliative care.
Source: Simon Woods, Death's Dominion: Ethics at the end of life, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Dec
An article reported a study of the development of specialist services for older people in the National Health Service in England. There were variations in the way that the service framework was being interpreted and implemented. In particular, there was inconsistency in the interpretation of the anti-ageism standard; some concluded that the strategy discouraged services exclusively for older people, others that it encouraged dedicated provision for them.
Source: Jan Reed, Margaret Cook, Glenda Cook, Pamela Inglis and Charlotte Clarke, 'Specialist services for older people: issues of negative and positive ageism', Ageing and Society, Volume 26 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Nov
A report said that there was a greater need than ever to have strong, specialist psychiatry services for older people.
Source: Raising the Standard: Specialist services for older people with mental illness, Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry/Royal College of Psychiatrists (020 7235 2351)
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Aug
An article said that post-acute care for older people in a locality-based community hospital was of similar cost effectiveness to that of an elderly care department in a district general hospital.
Source: Jacqueline O'Reilly et al., 'A cost effectiveness analysis within a randomised controlled trial of post-acute care of older people in a community hospital', British Medical Journal, 29 July 2006
Links: Article | Abstract | BBC report
Date: 2006-Jul
A report said that people aged 50 59 from the poorest fifth of the population were over 10 times more likely to die than their peers from the richest fifth.
Source: James Banks, Elizabeth Breeze, Carli Lessof and James Nazroo (eds.), Retirement, Health and Relationships in the Older Population in England: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing 2004 (wave 2), Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Links: Report | IFS press release | UCL press release | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2006-Jul
The government announced that it would develop a a new long-term strategy for improving end-of-life care for seriously ill adult patients.
Source: Press release 27 July 2006, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: DH press release | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Jul
A report said that over three million pensioners would experience mental health problems by 2021 unless action were taken to promote good mental health and well-being for older people.
Source: Michele Lee, Promoting Mental Health and Well-being in Later Life, Age Concern England (020 8765 7200) and Mental Health Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | Age Concern press release
Date: 2006-Jun
The House of Lords voted to block a Bill which would have permitted assisted suicide for terminally ill people under certain conditions.
Source: Lord Joffe, Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL], TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Hansard | Dignity press release | RCP press release | RSM press release | Evangelical Alliance press release | Catholic Church press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
An article said that legislation imposing fines on social service departments for delayed transfers of older people from hospital did not address the underlying causes of the problem.
Source: Karen Bryan, Heather Gage and Ken Gilbert, 'Delayed transfers of older people from hospital: causes and policy implications', Health Policy, Volume 76 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
The Welsh Assembly government published a 'national service framework' for older people.
Source: National Service Framework for Older People in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 3454)
Links: Framework | Summary | Framework (Welsh) | Summary (Welsh)
Date: 2006-Mar
A joint inspectorate report assessed progress half-way through the government's 10-year plan to improve services for those aged over 50. It said that although some services had improved, progress had been patchy and slow in other areas. The National Health Service and care services treated older people with a lack of dignity and respect, made worse by a lack of consultation.
Source: Living Well in Later Life: A review of progress against the national service framework for older people, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200), Audit Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection
Links: Report | Summary | CHAI press release | DH press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that having good mental health was just as important as good physical health for older people s well-being.
Source: As Fit As Butcher s Dogs: A report on healthy lifestyle choice and older people, Age Concern England (020 8765 7200) and National Consumer Council
Links: NCC press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that intermediate care services were not delivering their full potential because of a lack of integration with mainstream services and insufficient capacity.
Source: Intermediate Care National Evaluation Team, A National Evaluation of the Costs and Outcomes of Intermediate Care for Older People, Health Services Management Centre/University of Birmingham (0121 414 7050) and Leicester Nuffield Research Unit
Links: Summary | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Feb
An article said that intervention to save the lives of dying elderly patients was unsuccessful in most cases in residential care homes, and that resources could be better spent on training and equipment to improve the quality of care for the living.
Source: Simon Conroy, Tony Luxton, Robert Dingwall, Rowan Harwood and John Gladman, 'Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in continuing care settings: time for a rethink?', British Medical Journal, 25 February 2006
Links: BMJ press release | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A private member's Bill was introduced to make improvements in palliative care, and outlaw euthanasia.
Source: Palliative Care for the Terminally Ill Bill, Jim Dobbin MP, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2006-Jan
