GEP Medicine in Society Guide 2021/22

6. Themed Days - Primary Care

6.12. The older person

Preparatory work

In preparation students should have:

Read about ageing and health
Looked at these blogs; ‘Elderspeak’ and ‘A quest for clearer thinking on ageing’.
Reviewed NHS England’s key priorities for improving care for older people.
Considered the implications for society, and health and social services, of an ageing population.
Looked at some of the resources available on the British Geriatric Society’s website about coronavirus and older people and considered how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this population.

Aims

To introduce students to the biomedical and social implications of ageing, the demographic changes in the population and the implications of this for health and social services.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the day, students should be able to:

Recognise ageing as a natural, developmental process
Describe different ways that older people are regarded within different groups and communities
Describe the range of services, people and agencies that are involved in the support of the older patient in the local community
Demonstrate appropriate communication skills with an older patient (with suitable empathy, respect and interest)
Explain some of the implications for health and social services of an ageing population

Example timetable

9.30 – 10.30	Tutorial on ‘ageing’ and health
10.30 – 10.45	Tea break
10.45 – 11.45	Prepare for patient encounters Plan questions and observations Visit to local care home Group interview with manager or staff member Involvement in virtual care home ward round Meet patients and interview in small groups
11.45 – 12.30	Group debrief about visit/patient encounters Set up afternoon activity; In small groups, students to visit or research local facilities, groups and/or meet professionals providing services for older people. Then prepare brief presentation for group.
12.30 – 13.30	Lunch
13.30 – 14.45	Student-led activities as planned Includes tea break
14.45 – 16.00	Small group presentations and group discussion Set homework for next session

Suggested Activities

Tutorial on ageing and health-could discuss students own experiences of ageing in their family/community, review practice population statistics, key health promotion areas for older people or review of recent ‘hot topic’ e.g. COVID-19 and care homes.
Patient interviews – either observing healthcare professional or student-led.
Visit to local care home or other residential or daycare facility for older people.
Group discussion about ageism in society and healthcare; read article from Age & Ageing “Ageism and COVID-19: what does our society’s response say about us?” . Scope for student debate e.g. Is the healthcare system ageist?
Visit or research local agencies and/or meet with a professional providing services for older people.

Questions for students to consider

Did the patient you met describe any benefits of being older? Did anything surprise you?
Do you think ageism is an issue on our society and/or healthcare system? Have you seen any example of ageism personally or professionally?