Services for Older People

The aging population in the United Kingdom has brought greater recognition of the heterogeneity of older people, and hence their varied health care needs. Elderly care medicine argues that the multiple and complex conditions often associated with aging call for specialist services, but the management of older patients now is moving into mainstream services. Health policies have been driven more by the views of professionals than the expressed wishes of older people, however, and has concentrated on adverse outcomes for the health system (rising hospital admissions, hospital bed blocking) rather than positive health outcomes for older people. While the entitlement of older people to health care is secure within a national health service, policies should aim to improve the quality of health care and quality of life for older people.