The Welsh Assembly Government announced new health targets for older people. The targets were to reduce deaths from stroke by 20 per cent in the 65-74 age group by 2012; reduce hip fractures by 10 per cent in the 75-plus age group by 2012; increase moderate to vigorous exercise behaviour in the 50-64 age group; and narrow the gap between the most deprived and least deprived groups.
Source: Press release 20 November 2003, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: WAG press release
Date: 2003-Nov
A report said that local councils in the south east region were unprepared for an increase in demand for mental health services for older people. Research in 26 areas, where there was a high concentration of over-65s, showed many local authorities lacked reliable information to map out future needs. The report recommended that statutory authorities work in a more integrated way with voluntary and independent providers.
Source: The Shape of Future Care for Older People with Mental Health Needs, Friends of the Elderly (020 7730 8263)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Community Care report
Date: 2003-Sep
A report recommended the introduction of a 'resource use measure' tool in Scotland to promote fairer access to nursing and personal care resources for older people, and improve equity of resource allocation. The tool would group individuals according to a standardised measure of relative need.
Source: Report on the Development of a Resource Use Measure (RUM) for Scotland, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Report
Date: 2003-Sep
A report said that when older homeless people left hospital, the arrangements for their accommodation were frequently inadequate or inappropriate - leading to an early return to hospital, or even needless death.
Source: Imogen Blood, The Discharge of Older Homeless People from Hospital, Help the Aged (020 7278 1114) and Housing Associations Charitable Trust
Links: Help the Aged press release
Date: 2003-Aug
A report said that significant reductions in occupancy of emergency ward beds could result from timely access to intermediate care schemes (services designed to provide alternatives to emergency admission and support early discharges back to the community).
Source: Developing Intermediate Care to Support Reform of Emergency Care Services, British Geriatrics Society (020 7608 1369)
Links: Report (Word file)
Date: 2003-Jun
A think-tank report said that elderly patients were systematically discriminated against in the National Health Service. It said that the victims of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer died early and unnecessarily in Britain compared with most other western European countries, and that access to care was limited by age.
Source: John Evans, Stephen Pollard, Karol Sikora and Roger Williams, They've had a Good Innings: Can the NHS cope with an ageing population?, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-May
The government agreed to defer for a further three months (until 1 January 2004) introduction of a new system for fining social services departments deemed to be responsible for causing delayed discharges from hospitals.
Source: House of Lords Hansard, Debate 27.3.03, columns 966-996, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers found that the overall standard of healthcare for elderly people was inadequate when judged against quality indicators, irrespective of where patients live. Those living in nursing homes received poorer care than those living at home.
Source: Tom Fahey, Alan Montgomery, James Barnes and Jo Protheroe, 'Quality of care for elderly residents in nursing homes and elderly people living at home: controlled observational study', British Medical Journal 15.3.03
Links: Article | HTA press release
Date: 2003-Mar
A report said many older men risk their health through seeing a visit to the doctor as a sign of weakness, while those who are divorced are most likely to indulge in heavy drinking and smoking. Divorced older men - a growing segment of the population - are 'significantly disadvantaged' when it comes to involvement in formal organisations, or with family, friends and neighbours. The authors called for policy makers to recognise the special needs of this group.
Source: Sara Arber, Kate Davidson, Tom Daly and Kim Perren, Older Men: Their Social Worlds and Healthy Lifestyles, ESRC Growing Older Programme/University of Sheffield (0114 222 6467)
Links: Findings (pdf) | ESRC press release
Date: 2003-Mar
A government report said that more older people than ever before were getting crucial treatment since the launch of the 'national service framework' for older people. It said there had been a two-thirds increase in the number of people over 85 receiving heart bypasses between 2000 and 2002; that new intermediate care services benefited around 100,000 people in the same period; that around three-quarters of all hospitals had specialist multi-disciplinary teams for older people; and that the proportion of patients aged 75 and over delayed in leaving hospital had fallen from 13 per cent to 8.9 per cent.
Source: National Service Framework for Older People: Report of Progress and Future Challenges - 2003, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers found that more than 80 per cent of elderly people who are prescribed strong tranquillisers in nursing homes are given them with no medical justification.
Source: Alice Oborne, Richard Hooper, Ka Chi Li, Cameron Swift and Stephen Jackson, 'An indicator of appropriate neuroleptic prescribing in nursing homes', Age and Ageing (volume 31)
Links: Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Feb
Tackling age discrimination must be pushed higher up the health and social care agenda, a report argued. It said that older people could miss out on vital services because of a lack of expertise by providers in identifying age discrimination.
Source: Ros Levenson, Auditing Age Discrimination: A practical approach to promoting equality in health and social care, King s Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Summary (pdf) | KF press release | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2003-Feb
