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Someone who is 65 years old today would have been in their 20s during the 'swinging 60s'. Pat Leung, clinical development practitioner, Older Adults Directorate, CNWL Mental Health NHS Trust, asks 'How might this "new generation" of older adults impact on care systems and the people offering this care?'
For nurses such as me who have been working with older people for over 25 years, a clear shift can be seen in the expectations and demands of the new, older generation. Patient satisfaction surveys in the 1980s routinely showed a 55-65 per cent satisfaction with any service; the skill was to identify what the minority were concerned about. Expectations of older people were low and they did not have the political awareness of the new generation of older people and their offspring.
However, the new generation of older people should expect a better service and better involvement from the service providers. Nurses with a more in-depth understanding of the economy of healthcare and patient and public involvement should welcome more participation and expect to be questioned about suggested methods of care or intervention.
Equally, the new generation has had better opportunities and education than their predecessors and so will be more articulate. The impact should be one of concordance rather than compliance and acceptance. The real challenge is whether everyone offering healthcare will be able to develop their attitudes and approaches to ensure that ageism disappears and institutional discrimination is removed from the healthcare system. If it does not happen from within Healthcare professions, the new generation of older people will most certainly force change upon us.
Lynne Phair, consultant nurse for older people, Crawley PCT
Post World War II generations have not experienced the hardship of their predecessors. By comparison, they have experienced freedom and liberation, with exclusive access to an NHS. This particular cohort of individuals already considers itself a distinct generation, with preferences and needs that have not been recognised in the delivery of public services.
With the changing demographics of our society there will be enormous challenges ahead to ensure that standards are maintained and service infrastructures are robust enough to meet the needs and expectations of our local communities. This will not be easy when we are working in an...