Recent guidelines and publications
Updated CPR advice
The BMA, the Royal College of Nursing and the Resuscitation Council (UK) have produced updated joint guidance on the ethical principles that should inform how decisions about CPR are made and communicated. This latest 2016 revision of guidance is in response to public and professional debate about CPR decisions, and to recent statutory changes and legal judgments. The key ethical and legal principles that should inform all CPR decisions remain, but even greater emphasis has been placed on ensuring high-quality timely communication, decision-making and recording in relation to decisions about CPR.
Mental Capacity Act
The Social Care Institute for Excellence has release a new online resource Using the Mental Capacity Act. The video aims to explain the Mental Capacity Act and how it can protect the right to make choices for people who need the Act, their carers, and others. Split into sections it explains the five key principles of the Act and how they work in practice.
Dementia care in care homes
The Alzheimer’s Society has published Fix dementia care: NHS and care homes. This report marks the second phase of an Alzheimer’s Society campaign looking at the experiences of people with dementia in a range of health and care settings. It contains the results of a survey of care home managers and the voices of people with dementia, their families and carers. The report sets out recommendations for the government and NHS to improve the experiences of people with dementia in care homes.
Care provision for older adults in warmer weather
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published Care provision fit for a future climate. This report reviews existing evidence and presents primary research in four case study care settings (two residential and two extra care) in England to assess the risks of summertime overheating, and investigate the preparedness of the care settings, both now and in the future.
Older carers
Age UK has released new figures showing that the age of carers has increased over the past 7 years with the number of carers aged 80 and over rising from 301,000 to 417,000, an increase of nearly 39%. The data show one in seven people aged 80 and over provide some form of care to family or friends. The figures also show that 144,000 carers in this age group are caring for someone in their home for more than 35 hours a week, while a further 156,000 are caring for more than 20 hours a week.
Discharging older patients from hospital
The National Audit Office has published Discharging older patients from hospital. The report finds that the health and social care system’s management of discharging older patients from hospital does not represent value for money. The spending watchdog estimates that the gross annual cost to the NHS of treating older patients in hospital who no longer need to receive acute clinical care is in the region of £820 million. The report highlights that, while some efforts to rectify the situation have been made, an ageing population and an increase in older people being admitted to hospital requires there to be a step change in performance to resolve the problem.
Gardens and health
The King’s Fund has published Gardens and health: implications for policy and practice. This independent report commissioned by the National Gardens Scheme explores the benefits of gardens and gardening on health. The report includes a ‘menu’ of recommendations that aims to encourage the NHS, government departments, national bodies, local government, health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups to make more of the diverse health benefits of gardening in support of their priorities.
Dementia Survey
The Dementia Society has published the results of a survey showing that 56% of people are putting off seeking a dementia diagnosis for up to a year or more. The Alzheimer’s Society is calling on people to confront dementia, be aware that they can do something about it and go to the charity for help and support.
Campaign to reduce loneliness
The Housing Learning and Improvement Network (LIN) has published as part of its campaign to end loneliness The missing millions: In search of the loneliest in our communities. This report has been published to support commissioners and services to identify people experiencing or at risk of loneliness in older age. Divided into three main sections, the first is aimed at commissioning teams, including those who provide research and data analysis to help inform and prioritise commissioning decisions. The second section is focused mainly at service designers and providers, and the third is targeted at helping front line workers and volunteers prepare for and engage in constructive dialogue with older people experiencing loneliness, in ways that can bring about positive change.
Health technology: older people
2020 Health has published Health technologies – are older people interested? The report presents the results of a survey of 700 baby-boomers who were asked about their willingness to use innovation in caring for their parents. Two thirds of 55-75 year olds are interested in using such technology with their parents. Help with medication, memory, fall detection, instant communication and health metrics such as blood pressure were liked, but respondents were more wary of technology for dressing, eating and personal care.Interface between dementia and mental health
The Mental Health Foundation review
The interface between dementia and mental health: an evidence review carried out to explore the extent that people living with dementia have co-existing mental health problems. The main finding of this review is that comorbidities are underdiagnosed in people living with dementia, not extensively researched and therefore not understood fully. The review makes a number of recommendations at policy, organisation and programme level.
Improving dementia reviews
The NHS Confederation has published Improving dementia reviews: Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group. This case study explains how the CCG and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust worked with local GP practices to improve the system for routine dementia reviews. Reviews are now shared between the trust and GPs; patients are seen alternately by their GP and the memory clinic at 6 monthly intervals.
Prevention of mental and physical health problems in older adults
The Mental Health Foundation has published Evidencing the impact of and need for Acting Up. This report looks at a programme introduced in Northern Ireland in 2011 which offers opportunities for older adults to get involved in creative activities, specifically the performing arts. This report builds on a limited but emerging evidence base regarding the impact of creative arts activities on the mental and physical wellbeing of older adults which can lead to significant improvements in memory, problem solving and physical and mental wellbeing.
End-of-life care resources
NHS Employers has developed a range of information and tools to train staff in end of life care. The resources include: an overview of end-of-life care including where the strategy has come from and what work has been done nationally; benefits of investing in training including how it can build a skilled workforce for the future; case studies from NHS organisations; a list of e-learning resources and training programmes; and tools to implement an end-of-life care strategy in organisations.
Integrated care for older people
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published Building bridges, breaking barriers. This report looks at how well care for older people is integrated across health and social care, as well as the impact on older people who use services and their families and carers. This review enabled the CQC to independently assess the current state of integrated care within fieldwork sites, to develop and pilot tools and methods to support future reviews of coordinated care and to inform CQC’s approach to the new models of care that are emerging.
Difficult conversations in later life
The Charity Organisation Independent Age has published We need to talk about caring: dealing with difficult conversations. This report summarises research looking at how and why families avoid talking about challenges they may face in older age. It draws on an online poll of 2,066 people and a series of focus groups and interviews. The topics people find most difficult to discuss are: preferences for end of life care; who will care for them when they are older, and where they’d like to live if they could no longer live at home.
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