Category: Older People

Designing digital skills interventions for older people

Good Things Foundation, October 2019

This report brings together recommendations for designing digital skills interventions for older people with care and support needs. It draws on insights from two pathfinders, which were funded by NHS Digital and supported by Good Things Foundation as part of the Widening Digital Participation programme. The pathfinders generated insights on small system-level changes that can embed digital inclusion in social care support and factors influencing digital inclusion within social housing schemes. The model developed suggests:

• Step 1: Engage people where they are

• Step 2: Needs-led learning

• Step 3: Empowerment and Ongoing Support

Click here to view the full report.

A consensus on healthy ageing

Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better, October 2019

This statement by Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better defines the shared commitment of the signatory organisations. It is the first time that such a wide range of organisations have come together to voice their intention to promote healthy ageing. Signatories span the areas of health, employment, housing and communities, and are from academia, local government, the NHS, and the public and voluntary sectors.

Click here to view the full report.

The community mental health framework for adults and older adults

NHS England and NHS Improvement, September 2019

The Community Mental Health Framework describes how the Long Term Plan’s vision for a place-based community mental health model can be realised, and how community services should modernise to offer whole-person, whole-population health approaches, aligned with the new Primary Care Networks.

Click here to view the full report.

Ageist Britain?

SunLife, August 2019

This report aims to shine a light on the issue of casual ageism and the impact that it has on all of us. It highlights how ageism can have real life consequences, promotes exclusion and can affect physical and mental health. It is based on consumer research of 4,000 UK adults to understand how and when people experience ageism, how many of us admit to being ageist, and if people feel progress is being made to stamp it out. It finds casual ageism is part of our everyday language. It’s so ingrained that many ageist remarks are often overlooked, missed or simply accepted. Many sentiments are subtle and can even be well-intentioned. But the truth is that ‘ageist’ language, however casual, can have a huge impact on our perception of life after 50 and the way we treat people we meet. The truth is that ageist language, however casual, perpetuates the myth that life after 50 must be worse than before it.

Click here to view the full report.

Navigating the uncharted waters: population ageing in the UK –

International Longevity Centre: UK, August 2019

International Longevity Centre – UK report that argues that the UK’s unprecedented population ageing poses a set of daunting, yet not insurmountable, challenges for policymakers, institutions and health care providers to design better solutions fit for an ageing society. It calls for health policy reforms that focus on preventing, rather than curing disease to enable people to stay active and healthy for longer. It also calls for programmes to enable older workers to remain in the labour market for longer through retraining opportunities and more flexible working patterns, and highlights the pivotal role innovation could play, including, for instance, robotics to help fill production demands for manual labour, or better housing and transport design to facilitate independence and continued employment for older people.

Click here to view the full report.

Ageing confidently: supporting an ageing workforce

Centre for Social Justice, August 2019

It is estimated that by 2035, over half of all adults in the UK will be over 50 years of age. This report proposes several recommendations to provide older people and employers with the support needed to unlock the potential of this demographic and enable older people to access the benefits of work. It states that without a concerted effort to increase the opportunities for older workers, individuals, businesses and the economy will suffer. Among the recommendations are enhanced healthcare support through improvements in occupational health, training in mental health first aid and further support for those aged 55 and over from the Work and Health Programme from the Department of Work and Pensions. It also recommends a rise in State Pension Age to 70 by 2028 and to 75 by 2035.

Click here to view the full report.

Health inequalities in ageing in rural and coastal areas

Public Health England, August 2019

This review provides evidence on the health inequalities experienced by older populations in coastal and rural areas, together with a summary of key considerations to reduce inequalities and promote healthy ageing in these areas. It comprises a literature review supplemented with case studies, and brings together a range of information in one place with links to published research to:

•build knowledge and an evidence base within the health and care system, including local authorities and other organisations, of the key health inequality issues for older populations in rural and coastal areas

•support and promote the implementation of considerations to address health inequalities experienced by older people in rural and coastal areas

Click here to access the full report.

More harm than good: why more isn’t always better with older people’s medicines

Age UK, August 2019

Age UK report that calls for a more considered approach to prescribing medicines for our older population. It says too many older people in our society are on too many prescribed medicines, putting them at risk of side effects that in a worrying number of cases can lead to falls and a range of other serious harms. The report also provides evidence showing that prescribing more drugs isn’t always the best option, particularly when it comes to older people.

Click here to view the full report.

Care in places: inequalities in local authority adult social care spending power

The Salvation Army, July 2019

The International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) was commissioned by The Salvation Army to explore local-level inequalities in adult social care. It reveals there is significantly less money to care for older people who live in rural areas across England. Adult social care is largely funded by local business rates, council tax and other local charges but areas with lower house prices, fewer businesses and lower populations cannot raise as much money as more urban areas. This has led to deep levels of funding inequality across the entire country and prevents most local authorities from providing adequate social care for older residents.

Click here to view the full report.

Inquiry into decent and accessible homes for older people

All Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People, July 2019

All Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People report following an in-depth inquiry to understand the detrimental impact of poor housing on older people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing. An estimate of some of the costs of poor housing for the NHS suggests £1.4 billion per year. The report contains 13 recommendations that look at the impact of poor quality, inaccessible housing on health, issues in supported housing and the private rented sector and the importance of home improvement agencies.

Click here to view the full report.