1. Old habits Die Hard
Challenging attitudes towards ageing
within health services
Sue Eley, SW Regional Adviser - Services
10th November 2010

2. What is an older person?
 World average life expectancy is about 66 years
(Source UN). ‘Old age’ could be considered as
being any age beyond this.
 Average Britain believes ‘youth’ ends at 35 and
‘old age’ begins at 58. Daily Telegraph 17 March 2010
 There is really no clear definition - natural ageing
process - chronological, biological, physical and
psychological measures.
 ‘I will never be an old man. To me old age is
always 15 years older than I am (Bernard Baruch, 1870-1965)

3. Ageing Population
In England in 2010
 52.2 million Total Population
 8.5 Million Over 65 year (16.45%)
Older People Projections (over 65 years)
 9.7 million by 2015 (17.98%)
 11.6 million by 2025 (20.04%)
 13 million by 2030 (21.66%)

4. Stereotyping and Prejudice
 There is an increasing number of older people due to the
success of improvements to living conditions and health
and social care.
BUT this can be viewed negatively where older people are:
• Not valued for their experience
• Not seen as contributing to the economy
• Increasing cost to the employed.

7. HSCAS: Dignity through Action

8. HASAS: Dignity through Action

9. Physical and Mental Challenges
If I knew I was gonna live
this long, I’d have taken
better of myself’

(Eubie Blake, 1883-1983)

12. DOES AGE DISCRIMINATION REALLY EXIST IN THE
CARE OF THE OLDER PERSON?
Witnesses to the UK Joint Committee on Human Rights (2008) quoted:
• Discrimination is less common following NSF for Older People
• 50% of a sample of 85 Doctors said they are influenced by age.
• Patients over 65 are less likely to be referred to a cardiologist.
• Cardiologists are also less likely to recommend operations.
Age Concern's Report on Age Discrimination (2007) quoted:
• Treatment for minor strokes is covertly rationed for people over 80 yrs.
• Doctors less likely to refer angina sufferers to see a specialist – if over 65 yrs.
• National health and social care priorities - restrict targets to under 75 yrs.
• Invitations to breast screening stop for women over 70 yrs.
• Older people tend to be excluded from drug trials.

14. Still Hungry
to Be Heard
The scandal of
people in later life
becoming
malnourished in
hospital

15. Still Hungry to be Heard
 4 years ago Age UK launched this campaign
because too many of us were malnourished in our
hospitals.
 We were either admitted to hospital malnourished
and nothing was done about it, or we became
malnourished in hospital because we didn’t get the
food we could eat or the help we needed to eat it.

16. Still Hungry to be Heard
 In the past four years, as a result of our
campaign, politicians have acknowledged the
seriousness of this issue and many NHS trusts
have taken steps to improve mealtimes for people
in later life.
 Yet not enough has been done. Today, too
many people in later life are still
malnourished in our hospitals.
 We are still hungry to be heard. We are still
hungry for effective action.

17. Age UK’s seven steps to end the
scandal of malnutrition in hospital
Step one: Hospital staff must listen to us, our relatives our
carers
Step two: All ward staff must become food-aware
Step three Hospital staff must follow their own codes
Step four We must be assessed for the signs of
malnourishment
Step five Hospitals should introduce ‘protected mealtimes’
Step six Hospitals should implement a ‘red tray’ system
Step seven Hospitals should use trained volunteers where
appropriate