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Showing results for tags 'Older People (over 65)'.
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News ArticleSending thousands of older untested patients into care homes in England at the start of the coronavirus lockdown was a violation of their human rights, Amnesty International has said. A report says government decisions were "inexplicable" and "disastrous", affecting mental and physical health. More than 18,000 people living in care homes died with COVID-19 and Amnesty says the public inquiry promised by the government must begin immediately. According to Amnesty's report, a "number of poor decisions at both the national and local levels had serious negative consequences for the health and lives of older people in care homes and resulted in the infringement of their human rights" as enshrined in law. Researchers for the organisation interviewed relatives of older people who either died in care homes or are currently living in one; care home owners and staff, and legal and medical professionals. Amnesty said it received reports of residents being denied GP and hospital NHS services during the pandemic, "violating their right to health and potentially their right to life, as well as their right to non-discrimination". It adds that care home managers reported to its researchers that they were "pressured in different ways" to accept patients discharged from hospital who had not been tested or had COVID-19. Amnesty says the public inquiry into the pandemic should begin with an "interim phase". "The pandemic is not over," it added. "Lessons must be learned; remedial action must be taken without delay to ensure that mistakes are not repeated." Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 October 2020
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News Article
Coronavirus: Delirium 'key symptom' in frail older people
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors and carers should look out for signs of confusion or strange behaviour in frail older people because it could be an early warning sign of COVID-19, research suggests. Even if they have no cough or fever, delirium is more common in vulnerable over-65s than other, fitter people of the same age. But it's not yet clear why this extreme confusion or delirium happens. In this King's College London study, data from more than 800 people over the age of 65 was analysed. They included 322 patients in hospital with COVID-19, and 535 people using the Covid Symptom Study app to record their symptoms or log health reports on behalf of friends and family. All had received a positive test result. The researchers found that older adults admitted to hospital who were classified as frail were more likely to have had delirium as one of their symptoms, compared with people of the same age who weren't frail. For one in five patients in hospital with Covid, delirium was their only symptom. The study calls for more awareness of it in hospitals and care homes. Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 September 2020 -
News Article
Care home staff COVID vaccination levels below target in more than half LAs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The vaccination rate for staff at older care homes is below the recommended level set by scientists in more than half of England’s local authorities, analysis of NHS England data has revealed. Data as of 18 April shows that 76 out of 149 LAs had not reached the 80% vaccination threshold for care home staff to provide a minimum level of protection against COVID-19, according to the PA news agency. In 17 areas, less than 70% of staff had received a first jab. Lambeth, where 23 cases of a South African COVID variant have been recently reported in a care home, had the lowest uptake at 52.4%. The government last week announced the launch of a five-week consultation on mandatory staff vaccination as a result of the failure in some areas to reach the designated threshold. Read full story Source: Care Home Professional. 23 April 2021 -
News ArticleCampaigners have started legal action against the government over guidance that bans care home residents in England aged 65 and over from taking trips outside the home. John's Campaign, of residents and their loved ones, says the ban is unlawful. They are also challenging the requirement for residents to self-isolate for 14 days after such visits. The government said its guidance provides a "range of opportunities" for visitors to spend time with loved ones. Nearly all residents have now had at least one dose of the vaccine, and care homes have been cautiously reopening, allowing indoor visits with designated family or friends. But the government guidance, updated on 8 March, says trips to see family or friends "should only be considered" for under-65s while national Covid restrictions apply because they increase the risk of bringing Covid into a home. Visits out for residents, whatever their age, "should be supported in exceptional circumstances such as a visit to a friend or relative at the end of their life", it adds - but on returning to the home, the resident must self-isolate for two weeks. The legal letter sent to the Department of Health and Social Care by John's Campaign says the decision whether someone can go on a visit outside a care home should be based on individual risk assessments. Read full story Source: BBC News, 2 April 2021
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News Article
Collapse of social care could force more elderly people out of their own homes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Elderly and vulnerable people could be forced to move out of their own homes into institutional care unless the chancellor invests billions of pounds to shore up social services and reform England’s broken care model, The Independent has been told. In an exclusive interview ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Budget on Wednesday, James Bullion, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), warned the care system risked “catastrophic failure in some areas” without urgent changes to the way vulnerable people, including younger disabled people, are looked after. He warned the number of people needing care had doubled in some parts of the country since March, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Ministers are planning to bring forward reforms to social care later this year, but Mr Bullion, who leads social services in Norfolk, said the system needed at least £4bn over the next two years “just to keep the show on the road”. He warned the sector had been rocked by more than 30,000 deaths in care homes from Covid, with a 40% turnover in staff, higher sickness, and more than 100,000 vacancies on top of rising costs. “We’ve got social care providers who are very much more fragile and at risk than they were a year ago. We were able to pay premiums to providers to keep going, but we've now reached the point where the revenue consequences of the last year will come home to roost. And we're very worried about the impact on the social care market and whether it will still be there for us in a way that it’s been in the past year if we take that support away.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 1 March 2021 -
News ArticleWomen aged 70 or over are receiving substandard care to tackle ovarian cancer with one in five patients in their seventies getting no treatment whatsoever, a new study has found. A report from Ovarian Cancer Action revealed almost half of patients in their 70s do not undergo surgery to treat the disease, even though it provides the best long-term prognosis for one of the most common types of cancer in women. In total, around one in five (22%) of ovarian cancer patients aged 70 to 79 and three in five women with ovarian cancer who were over 80 years old were given no treatment for the disease. The inadequate healthcare given to older ovarian cancer patients causes a disproportionately high short term death rate for them, the study found. The study found older patients are substantially less likely to be referred by their GP for diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds when ovarian cancer symptoms surface. Dr Susana Banerjee, a consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said: “With an ageing population, many more patients with ovarian cancer are over the age of 70, so there is an urgent need to understand the best way to effectively treat older women." “Optimising patients for treatment through frailty assessments and interventions, sharing best practice across cancer centres and representing older patients in clinical trials are important steps towards ensuring equal access to effective and tolerable treatment that could help more women live beyond their diagnosis, with a good quality of life, no matter their age.”
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News Article
Poorer areas falling behind on vaccination against coronavirus
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is increasing efforts to reach out to ethnic minority communities in more deprived areas of England as analysis by The Independent shows poorer areas are vaccinating fewer at-risk people. Among the most deprived parts of the country, fewer people aged over 80 and in their mid-70s had received their first dose of vaccine against coronavirus by 7 February when compared with more affluent areas, sparking concerns communities most at risk are being left vulnerable. Comparing local NHS vaccination data with Public Health England’s deprivation scores for each NHS region reveals six of the most deprived parts of England were in the bottom 10 local areas for vaccine uptake among the over-80s and those aged over 75. The worst performing NHS region was East London, with just 73& cent of over-80s vaccinated by 7 February. East London was also one of the worst-affected areas during the second wave of the virus as hospitals became overwhelmed early on in the crisis. Dave Finch, a senior fellow at the Health Foundation, said: “Lower vaccine uptake in the most deprived areas is worrying as these areas have seen some of the very highest Covid-19 death rates. A higher likelihood of having poorer pre-existing health increases their risk of more severe symptoms if they do get the virus. And people living in poorer areas are increasingly showing signs of intense financial hardship as a result of lockdown measures." “The government must prioritise understanding why vaccine uptake has been lower in these areas and take urgent, targeted action to address this. However, in the longer term, there must be a focus on investing across the UK to address major health inequalities in order protect everyone’s health and wellbeing.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 February 2021 -
News Article
Covid: Over-70s can contact NHS for vaccine in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People aged 70 or older in England who have not yet had their coronavirus vaccine but would like to are being asked to contact the NHS. A national booking system can be accessed online or people can call 119 free of change between 7am and 11pm. At a Downing Street news briefing, deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam urged people to get the vaccine "without delay". "Protect yourself against the clear and present danger," he said. He said the vaccines worked very well against the "immediate threat" of the Kent variant of coronavirus circulating in the UK. Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 February 2021 -
News Article
NHS COVID-19 jab letters 'confusing over-80s'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People waiting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine say they are confused by NHS letters inviting them to travel to centres miles away from their homes. The first 130,000 letters have been sent to people aged 80 or older who live about 30 to 45 minutes' drive away from one of seven new regional centres. But patients, many of whom are shielding, questioned why they had to travel so far in a pandemic. Local jabs are available to people if they wait, the NHS said. The seven centres include Ashton Gate in Bristol, Epsom racecourse in Surrey, London's Nightingale hospital, Newcastle's Centre for Life, the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, Robertson House in Stevenage and Birmingham's Millennium Point. Mary McGarry from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire told BBC News that her letter points to an NHS online booking page which suggests she would have to take her husband, who has cancer and a lung disease, 20 miles to Birmingham. "We're very reluctant to go into Birmingham city centre," she said. "If we can't get somebody to take us, we'd have to go on the train but we're shielding because my husband's got poor health.... we want to know why we've got to travel that far?" People will not miss out on their vaccination if they do not use the letters to make an appointment at one of the centres, the NHS said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 January 2021 -
News Article
New volunteer programme to help older patients reduce risk of fall
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new volunteering programme is aiming to bring trained volunteers into the homes of older patients to provide one-to-one support. The Falls Prevention Community Exercise Volunteers programme is being run by the volunteering service at Kingston Hospital NHS FT, which is funded by the volunteering organisation Helpforce and the Kingston Hospital Charity. It hopes that this will improve the strength, balance, and mobility of elderly patients, as well as improve their overall health and well-being. This is then expected to reduce the strain on the NHS caused by falls among older patients. Research from NICE in 2018 showed that the risk of falls in elderly patients can be reduced by as much as 54%, when they take part in exercises focused on improving strength and balance. Bianca Larch, Community Outreach Manager at the trust, said: “We are delighted to launch this much needed volunteering service to support our patients at home. “With volunteers supporting patients to undertake a physiotherapy prescribed exercise programme, we hope to see improved strength, mobility and balance in our patients and in turn reduce their risk of falls significantly. “This programme can really improve the quality of life of our patients by restoring well-being and independence, especially for those waiting to access various community interventions.” Read full story Source: National Health Executive, 9 September 2021 -
News ArticleSelf-harm among the over-65s must receive greater focus because of the increased risks associated with the pandemic, a leading expert has said. Loneliness, bereavement and reluctance to access GPs can all be causes in older adults, said Prof Nav Kapur, who has produced guidelines on the subject. He warned that in over-65s, without the right help, self-harm can also be a predictor of later suicide attempts. The NHS's mental health director said it had expanded its community support. Claire Murdoch added that its services, including face-to-face appointments, had "continued for all who needed them", and 24/7 crisis lines had been established. Over-65s are hospitalised more than 5,000 times a year in England because of self-harm and self-poisoning, figures obtained from NHS Digital show. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 June 2021
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EventuntilOur societies are currently at a crossroads. Demographic change, growing inequalities, the climate crisis, COVID-19, and the impacts of the war in Ukraine are all having a negative impact on the health and well-being of our societies. These challenges are straining public resources and the social fabric of our communities. How can we overcome these issues and grow stronger in times of crisis? The early years and later years of life are crucial stages in the life-course. How we approach health and wellbeing during these phases has a direct impact on the long-term resilience of our health systems and our wider societies. We must prioritise health equity and wellbeing among children, youth, families and older people to ensure they have the essential conditions and resources to thrive, setting them up for lifelong health and wellbeing. Alternative economic and care models, such as the Economy of Wellbeing – as well as socially-conscious public and private investments offer the potential to grow stronger and more sustainably out of the current crises. This in-person seminar will gather experts and policy makers to explore the necessary conditions in which all members of society, including young and older people, feel like capable and valued members of their immediate and wider communities. New and innovative approaches and investments will be presented, in the context of current European policy developments, and with a critical focus on their impacts on health equity. Discussions will be centred around the following themes: Securing conditions for health equity and wellbeing in childhood and adolescence in times of uncertainty Prioritising public investments for healthy and active ageing in the wake of multiple crises Exploring how we can turn our current uncertainties into opportunities for strength, through concepts like the Economy of Wellbeing Sign up for the seminar
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EventuntilJulie Tyrer, Tissue Viability Nurse Consultant at Liverpool Heart and Chest, NHS Foundation Trust, presents her new ‘Minimise Moisture’ initiative for raising awareness of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) during the next Harm Free Care Network online meeting. Register
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EventuntilThis Westminster Health Forum event discusses key priorities and next steps for improving older people’s care. The conference will be an opportunity to assess the management of care through the pandemic and the policy support required to tackle the critical challenges currently being faced around community support, integrated care, and managing and preventing long-term conditions. Areas for discussion include: progress on integrated care systems and on community care rollout of urgent rapid response teams and reducing the length of hospital admissions delivery of care during the COVID-19 crisis, and the vaccination programme digital remote management of long term conditions self-funding of older people’s care prevention, including weight management service tackling loneliness. Register
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Content ArticleFrail older adults are often at increased risk of patient safety incidents including rehospitalisation and overtreatment. In this study, published in BMC Geriatrics, researchers in the United States assessed the association of care coordination and preventable adverse events in frail older adults. Compared with non-frail older adults, they found that frail older adults reported experiencing more adverse events they believed could have been prevented with better care coordination.
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Content ArticleThis report examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people living with long-term conditions and highlights that many have deteriorated faster than usual due to being unable to access rehabilitation services. It makes recommendations to the government aimed at restoring rehabilitation support services. The report was produced collaboratively by The Alzheimer's Society, The Stroke Association, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Centre for Mental Health, Age UK, The College of Podiatry, The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, The Royal College of Occupational Therapists, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and The British Dietetic Association.
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Content ArticleThe NHS Confederation has published a new report, 'The unequal impact of COVID-19: investigating the effect on people with certain protected characteristics', which maps existing research into COVID-19 inequalities onto some of these protected characteristics, showing how the pandemic has interacted with them. The report then showcases four case studies of how different health and care systems have put in place interventions to respond to these inequalities when designing their COVID-19 response. It focuses on a number of key areas including the impact of COVID-19 on: BAME communities people with disabilities older and younger people. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for health and care systems across the UK.
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Content ArticleThe Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) has published its independent 'Review of the implementation of recommendations to prevent choking incidents in Northern Ireland'. The Review examined the measures and governance arrangements in place to prevent choking, in line with current guidance, focusing on the work undertaken in high-risk areas across health and social care, including stroke care, care of the elderly and services for those with physical and/or mental health and learning disabilities. The Review found that there was a clear and urgent need to improve the quality and safety of care provided to people at risk of choking. The key recommendations in the Review include: training for staff including clinicians, catering and domestic teams; shorter waiting times for assessment by Speech and Language Therapy; better systems for communication between staff, and safer systems for ordering and storing food.
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Content ArticleThis first report in National Voices' ‘Behind the Headlines’ series gathers insight and intelligence from member organisations on what the cost of living crisis means for people living with ill health. It examines the close link between poverty and health, highlighting that people living in poverty are more likely to be living in poor health. Equally, lack of support for people living with ill health and disability can make people poor. The report gathers case studies and data on topics including include cancer, kidney conditions, older people and homelessness. It makes a set of recommendations based on this insight.
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Content ArticleNext Steps is a tool created by the Dementia Change Action Network to help patients find the right support, at the right time, while waiting for their memory assessment appointment. Some patients are facing longer waits as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it can be an uncertain time. Next Steps provides information about what to expect from the memory assessment process and about organisations who can help.
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Content ArticleIn 2020, over 2,000 people over the age of 60 fell and fractured their hip while staying in hospital in England and Wales. This graphic has been produced by the National Audit of Inpatient Falls (NAIF), which audits the delivery and quality of care for patients over 60 who fall and fracture their hip or thigh bone across England and Wales. It features the three most important findings of the 2021 NAIF Report, chosen by the patient and carer panel. The infographic covers the following questions: How can falls be prevented? What should happen after a fall? How can I help to improve care in hospital?
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Content ArticleThis guide by the Royal College of Physicians explains what a hip fracture is and answers questions about how patients will be cared for before and after a hip operation. It is written for patients and their families and carers. The guide covers aspects of hip fracture care such as: pain relief memory problems who should be involved in your care how soon an operation should take place eating and drinking bladder problems rehabilitation and physiotherapy following surgery when you will be able to go home future falls prevention bone strengthening medication
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Content ArticleThere is evidence that certain subgroups of the population have a higher risk of developing dementia than others. Aside from the most important risk factor—age,—other risk factors include ethnicity, sex, learning disability and socio-economic status. This report by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) details the impact of scientific research on health inequalities for people affected by dementia. In order to make sure dementia diagnosis and treatments are effective for everyone, we need to understand how and why different groups are affected differently, so that we can target interventions where they are most needed and maximise their benefit. The report was produced by leading dementia scientists from the UK DRI who are taking action to reduce health inequalities through their own research. This includes: Researching “blood biomarkers” to pave the way for a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Ensuring both male and female mice are used equally in animal research so that findings can be applied to the whole population. This is policy across the UK DRI. Broadening understanding of the implications of ethnicity on risk of Alzheimer’s disease through genetic studies. Working to make clinical trials more accessible to all. Pioneering accessible, scalable, and affordable new therapies. Investigating rarer forms of dementia to plug the knowledge gap and support people living with these diseases. Addressing the environmental and lifestyle factors that impact brain health to better understand the link between socio-economic status and dementia risk.
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Content ArticleThis article discusses how medication safety can be improved in Canada. It explores the complexities of aging, what can go wrong with medication, 'Best Possible Medication Histories', the role of pharmacists and paramedics, engaging with patients and their families, and improving communication across the healthcare system.
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Content Article
This year, the World Health Organisation’s annual World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2022 will focus on medication safety, promoting safe medication practices to prevent medication errors and reducing medication-related harm. Patient Safety Learning has pulled together some useful resources from the hub about different aspects of medication safety - here we list six top Learn articles about medication safety in social care.
