Reshaping Care for Older People

　
Information Booklet
According to the Scottish Government information booklet the population is changing and there is a growing proportion of elderly which is expected to rise to nearly two thirds of the total population by 2032. There will not be enough working people to afford the health costs and so things must change. One of the proposed changes will be to enable people to remain at home for as long as possible and to reduce admissions to hospitals. People need to agree to expect less from the NHS. One of the ways to achieve this is to provide information about what is possible and to help the older person to make informed choices/ decisions.

Are we really talking about the Liverpool Care Pathway here? Or what might be termed palliative care as opposed to curative care? So the older person will be persuaded to make decisions about Do not Resuscitate notices and preferred place of death, knowing that most elderly will choose home? That should reduce a large number of hospital admissions and help the elderly on their way.

Whatever it means, care will no longer be about going to the doctor, obtaining a diagnosis and treatment or rushing to the hospital in an emergency. That is a good way of reducing the problem of the elderly!