Longevity
interventions. These should be designed to support physical health, social relationships and the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of older people in care homes as well as in their own homes. For the UK, any reduction in admissions to hospital for an already stretched NHS is a bonus. An Aged UK report noted the number of older people attending accident and emergency (A&E) departments have increased significantly over the past five years.10
In
2009/10 there were 30,831 attendances per 100,000 of the 60 plus population but by 2014/15 that had risen to 37,240, an increase of 20.7 per cent over the period. Older people were also more likely to need further inpatient care; while people aged 65 and over represented 23 per cent of total A&E attendances in 2015, they made up 46 per cent of all admissions from A&E.
Collaboration
It is not just developed countries we can collaborate with and learn from. In 2015, CommonAge was able to offer travel scholarships that enabled 15 delegates from developing countries to attend the Global Ageing conference in Perth, Australia. The contributions made through presentations and engagement by delegates brought a rich diversity of views to the conference. The countries represented, which included Cameroon, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, are now developing their own national policy frameworks for older people.
Some countries face huge challenges in confronting the marginalisation of older people in their societies, while others could teach western providers much about dignity and respect for older people and what unsophisticated natural person-centred care looks like. A highlight of the Perth conference was the presentation by Francis Njuakom from Cameroon. His organisation, Community Development Volunteers for Technical Assistance (CDVTA), is the leading agency supporting older people living in remote rural areas in Cameroon. It receives international assistance from many organisations including the Department for International Development in the UK.
Following his experience in Perth, Francis was appointed director of the board of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and is now recognised by his country’s government as one of the leading advocates for older people. His organisation is transforming the
16
lives of poor older people through international engagement.
Conclusion
CommonAge is keen to bring additional organisations into its network and encourage colleagues across the UK to share their experience with those doing similar work in developing countries. It is time the elderly care sector looked over the horizon to see what is happening around the world in the development of services for older people. The UK has much to offer, and much to gain, from greater international engagement. TCHE
References 1. Campbell D. Rise in life expectancy has stalled since 2010, research shows. The Guardian 2017; 18 July. [
www.theguardian.com/society/2017/ jul/18/rise-in-life-expectancy-has- stalled-since-2010-research-shows].
2. Office for National Statistics. Overview of the UK population: July 2017. [
www.ons.gov.uk].
3. Marsh S. UK needs 71,000 more care home places in eight years, study predicts. The Guardian 2017; 15 August. [
www.theguardian.com/society/2017/ aug/15/uk-needs-71000-more-care-home- places-in-eight-years-study-predicts].
4. The Commonwealth. Fast Facts on the Commonwealth.
[
thecommonwealth.org/fastfacts].
5. Population Reference Bureau. India’s Aging Population. [
www.prb.org/Publications/ Reports/2012/
india-older-population.aspx].
6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017) Older Australia at a Glance. [
www.aihw.gov.au].
7. KPMG. (2017) Rising Cost of Residential Aged Care: Implications and actions.
[
home.kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/ 2017/03/residential-aged-care-rising-
cost.html].
8. Conference Board of Canada. Demand for long-term care beds in Canada could nearly double in little more than 15 years. CISION, 2017. [
www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ demand-for-long-term-care-beds-in- canada-could-nearly-double-in-little-
more-than-15-years-660240523.html].
9. World Health Organization. Ageing and Life Course. World Report on Ageing and Health 2015. [
www.who.int].
10. Age UK. Briefing: Health and Care of Older People in England 2017. [
www.ageuk.org.uk].
Andrew Larpent
Following a 30 year career in the British Army, Andrew has spent the past 20 years as CEO of not for profit care organisations in the UK and Australia. He has served as a board member and chairman of a number of national and international care organisations. He is currently chairman of CommonAge, the Commonwealth Association for the Ageing.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • January 2018
©iceteastock - Fotolia
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
