The Elderly

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The Elderly

• Health Needs

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Elderly People Need

• Housing

• Health Care

• Health Care

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ELDERLY HEALTH PROBLEMS
DISABILITY
40 of people aged 60-74 have disability or
limiting Health problems
50 of people aged 75 have disability or
limiting Health problems
Most elderly people have eyesight or hearing
problems, and often both
Each year, 15,000 people in the UK die from
accidents in the home
DEMENTIA
..BUT LOADS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING
SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THEM
Affects anything from 1 to 10 of elderly people
Early signs are memory loss but can lead to death
Best known version is Alzheimers Disease
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MEETING HEALTH NEEDS
Technology in the home
Technology in hospitals
Community Care
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Technology at Home
Electric chair lifts
Bath hoists
Aid alarm call buttons
Powered vehicles to aid mobility
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Technology in Hospitals
New surgical operations to extend life and
improve its quality
Better intensive care for very ill
Better diagnosis - scanners and so on
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COMMUNITY CARE
Get elderly out of hospital and into own community
Elderly nearer friends and relatives
Frees up hospital beds for those really needing
hospital treatment
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COMMUNITY CARE CRITICISMS
Some carers poorly trained
Quality varies around UK
Some patients unable to cope in community
Some residential homes just out to make quick
profit
Some people say just introduced to save the
government money
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