later life

People aged 55 and over. The elderly men and women in the population. Old people who may be retired and suffering from chronic disease

Our later life Blogs

Are there any effective interventions for preventing falls in older people with mental health problems?

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Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year (College of Optometrists, 2011) and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This fact alone should be giving us the drive to look for ways to prevent falls in healthcare settings. A systematic review recently published in BMC Nursing (Bunn et al, 2014) is [read the full story…]

Is the menopause depressing? Not necessarily

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Some of the lady Elves in the forest have been sharing their concerns about the menopause, and whilst keeping an eye out for hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings; what other changes will the menopause will bring?! Well, Freeman and colleagues have some good news and bad news for us. In November 2013, JAMA [read the full story…]

“Care needs to be just as important as treatment” says report

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This practical guidance has been written to help commissioners, service providers, nurses, medical, and allied health professionals, understand the difference care and compassion can make to the service experience of frail older people, and also to the financial situation of health and social care organisations. The guide covers the following themes: Reducing healthcare-related harm Care [read the full story…]

Care and support of older people with learning disabilities chosen for NICE social care quality guidance and standards in 2015

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Background NICE (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) provides guidance and quality standards for health and social care in England. Its evidence-based guidance is produced to support health and social care professionals to ensure that support provided they is of the best possible quality and offers the best value for money. Following a Department [read the full story…]

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Study suggests use of resin-bonded bridgework more cost effective than removable dental prostheses in older partially dentate patients

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The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness analysis of two different tooth replacement strategies for partially dentate older patients; partial removable dental prostheses (RDP) and functionally orientated treatment based on the shortened dental arch concept (SDA). Partially dentate patients aged 65 years and older seeking replacement of missing natural teeth, had a [read the full story…]

Rate of falls in older adults with learning disabilities substantially higher than in general elderly population Netherlands study finds

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Background Falls and fall-related injuries are a common and serious problem for older people. Nice guidance published in June last year suggested that 30% of people over 65 and 50% of people over older than 80 fall at least once a year. Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year. [read the full story…]

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‘Beating the Blues’ intervention shows promise for reducing depression and improving quality of life in older African Americans

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This paper reports the findings of a study exploring a new approach to treating the symptoms of depression in older African Americans. This a group of the population with very high levels of general health care needs – the result of a combination of factors including the USA’s political and social history but also modern [read the full story…]

Trial shows that implant overdentures did not result in better dietary intake than conventional dentures at 12 months

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Studies have shown that edentate patients have poorer nutrition than those with no teeth The main aim of this study was to assess whether mandibular two-implant overdentures (IODs) improved the nutritional status of older people compared with those wearing a conventional denture (CD). Patients over the age of 65 who had been edentate for a [read the full story…]

Little practical engagement of people with learning disabilities with issues of death and dying despite in principle support for right to know

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We have posted previously about end of life issues for people with learning disabilities, for example, pointing to the impact of training in palliative care as well as to resources such as the films made by Change for the dying matters coalition that can be used to help include people with learning disabilities in discussions [read the full story…]

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Barriers experienced by dentists in delivering care to older people

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An increase in the proportion of older people in the population is evidence, with those aged 65 years of age and above expected to increase from 19 to 25 % in Europe by 2025.  Coupled with an improvement in oral health over the past 30 years this means a higher proportion of these older people [read the full story…]