Have this week's events brought good news or bad for older
people?
It was a bad week for hospitals as the Patients
Association revealed that two out of three patients are not being
checked for signs of malnutrition. We were really disappointed at
the news, which comes just months after the CQC had found evidence
of neglect amongst older hospital patients, with them being
overlooked, left thirsty and not given the assistance they need to
eat.
We all know that food and water are the basics of care and are
vital to rest and recuperation, yet somehow they are still going
amiss in our NHS. Staff need to engage properly with their patients
to ensure they are being properly looked after - individuals have
individual problems and conditions like arthritis or problems with
sight can make things like eating and pouring a drink much more
difficult for some older people. If staff don't pay enough
attention to the needs of their patients, these things can fall
under the radar, leaving older people - and others -entering a
downward spiral towards malnutrition and further ill health.
According to Age UK, malnourished patients stay an average of 5-10
days longer in hospital, so overlooking these basic checks is not
just damaging to the patients, it does us all a disservice - it'll
be the collective whole who finds ourselves footing the bill
further down the line.
This is a good week for over sixties with a
problem weighing on their mind. New research from the University of
Texas has shown that 'wisdom really does come with age'. According
to an article which ran in the Daily Telegraph this week, previous
studies, which suggest decision-making ability declines with age,
were 'biased against older brains'. The new findings show that
younger people veer towards making choices that lead to immediate
rewards, while older people tend to take a more measured, strategic
approach to decision-making which takes the longer-term into
account.
