Promoting health and wellbeing in later life - interventions in primary care and community settings

Citation

Frost H (2011) Promoting health and wellbeing in later life - interventions in primary care and community settings. Frost H (Editor), Haw S (Editor) & Frank J (Editor) NHS Scotland; Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research & Policy. Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy. http://www.scphrp.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/promoting_health_and_wellbeing_in_later_life.pdf

Abstract
Background to paper: The population of older people in Scotland has been growing over the last century and projections estimate that 26% (1.3 million) of the total population will be aged 60 or over by 2031. The dependencyratio1 is projected to remain more or less stable until 2018 but by 2033 it is expected to increase rapidly to 68 per 100 (1). In addition projections for 2031 compared with 2008, suggest that there will be an 84% increase in the number of people aged over 75, the age at which a dramatic increase in the prevalence of physical disability occurs. This is a concern as it will become increasingly difficult to maintain adequate pension and social security systems for older people. It is not inevitable that all older people will live with disability and ill health, but these trends are strongly patterned by socioeconomic position. In Scotland the balance of evidence suggests that the top social and economic groups are living longer and healthier lives whereas the bottom groups are disabled earlier, and their period of living with disability is more prolonged. The scan aims to provide an overview of the evidence for interventions that prevent or delay physical disablement in later life with a view to informing policy makers and developing equitable intervention strategies in Scotland. In order to prepare for the challenge of an increasing older population, the Later Life Working Group of the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy chose to focus their priority on interventions in primary care and community settings that prevent or delay functional decline in older people. Functional decline is integral to the ‘disablement process’ which refers to the impact that chronic and acute conditions have on bodily function and the ability of individual’s to cope and live independently in society (2). The overall objective of the environmental scan is to investigate interventions in primary care and community settings that aim to prevent or delay physical disablement in older people and promote healthy ageing. The scan includes: 1) a brief summary of relevant international and Scottish policies for healthy ageing; and 2) a review of evidence for interventions in primary care and community settings that focus on preventing physical disablement in older people.