Ageing Well or Not So Well Flashcards
What are the health implications of an ageing population? (4)
- Increased geriatricians and healthcare professionals needed to look after the elderly
- Increased need for facilities for elderly healthcare
- Prevalence of long term conditions increases
- Specific health promotion campaigns aimed at the elderly
What are the economic implications of an ageing population? (5)
- Retirement/pension age is already increasing
- Finding employment may become harder for young people, as older people being required to work for longer blocks the “top end” of the employment sector
- Proportionally fewer people will be paying into tax and pension funds
- Those elderly who have not contributed to a private pension fund may find that the state pension is inadequate, resulting in poverty
- Increasing cost of free personal care to the elderly policy
What are the political implications of an ageing population? (2)
- Current decision making and workforce planning must take into account the ageing population
- The increasing elderly population will potentially have the power to influence political decision making in relation to their specific concerns
What are the social implications of an ageing population? (5)
- Increasingly dependent on families and/or carers, who are also ageing
- The demand for home carers and nursing home places is likely to increase
- Within local communities, there will be increasing emphasis on providing social activities for the elderly
- The role of the elderly as grandparents and carers of grandchildren is likely to change
- Housing demands are likely to change as more elderly people live alone
What is a confounding factor?
One which is associated independently with both the disease and with the exposure under investigation and so distorts the relationship between the exposure and the disease
Give some examples of how carers may be negatively impacted by caring
- Drop in household income
- Cut back on essentials e.g. food, heating
- Financial circumstances affecting health
- Missed out on financial support due to not getting the right information and advice
- Carers providing round the clock care are more than twice as likely to be in bad health than non-carers
- Worried about the impact on caring with their relationships with friends and family
- Feel society does not think about them at all
What is the definition of multimorbidity?
The co-existence of two or more long-term conditions in an individual
What are some of the options for care upon leaving hospital?
- Living in own home with support from family
- Living in own home with support from social services
- Sheltered housing
- Residential home
- Nursing home care
What is anticipatory care planning (ACP)?
Advance and anticipatory care planning, as a philosophy, promotes discussion in which individuals, their care providers and often those close to them, make decisions with respect to their future health or personal and practical aspects of care.
When should an ACP be done?
- At any time in life that seems appropriate
- Continuously
Who should do an ACP?
Anyone with an appropriate relationship
How should an ACP be done?
- Thinking ahead and making plans
- Carefully - write it down
How can an ACP be shared?
- KIS (Key Information Summary)
- Other communication
What are the legal issues which may be included in an ACP?
- Welfare power of attorney
- Financial power of attorney
- Guardianship
Give some examples of the personal issues which may be included in an ACP
- Statement of wishes regarding treatment/advance directive
- Next of kin
- Consent to pass on information to relevant others
- Preferences and priorities regarding treatment
- Who else to consult/inform
- Preferred place of death
- Religious and cultural beliefs regarding death
- Current level of support e.g. family, carers
