Blog

Over the past 20 years we have seen a proliferation of Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) roles emerge across all services. The ANP role is testimony to the nursing profession being dynamic, progressive, and adaptable to the changing needs of the National Health Service.

Oncogeriatrics, or geriatric oncology, is not niche. 1 in 2 of us will face cancer in our lifetime. The number of older adults living with cancer is set to triple between 2010 and 2040, and 60% of cancer diagnoses are made in the older population. We know that the ageing population will add complexity to cancer management; and will require services to juggle issues that teams managing older adults are already expert in managing  — issues like comorbidity, frailty, polypharmacy, and functional decline. 

Our new research published in Age and Ageing has established that most people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers are willing to have one of their medications deprescribed (78.5%).

Polypharmacy, the use of multiple different prescribed medications, has become part of everyday life for many and tends to increase the older we become. Older people are more likely to experience adverse effects from polypharmacy due to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes associated with age; that is, changes in how the body processes and responds to specific medications.

I remember the exact moment I knew Geriatric Medicine was the specialty for me. I was a Foundation doctor at the time, and attending my first Geriatrics for Juniors conference in Newcastle back in 2017. As I looked around the room at the other delegates and speakers, I realised that these were my people.

On Saturday, I returned from my third week at the European Academy for Medicine of Ageing (EAMA). This week had been held in Nice, France. Whilst I won’t deny that being able to stroll on the beach between sessions (and dip in the ocean for those who were brave) made a *nice* change from the streets of London or Birmingham, it really was the company I spent it with that made my experience unforgettable.

Our new research published in Age and Ageing reveals the complexities of making anticipatory medications available for people nearing the end of life at home. Patients, informal carers and health professionals interviewed for the research said their presence could cause distress as well as comfort.

I write this blog at a time when the NHS and social care crisis is again in the headlines. In my 28 years as a consultant geriatrician, I have not encountered such a crisis before.

The UK is experiencing a cost of living crisis and older people are particularly vulnerable to the impact this has on their health. Age UK estimated that 1.1 million older households were in fuel poverty at the end of 2021. A year later and this figure has almost trebled. An estimated 8,500 people died last year in England and Wales as a result of living in cold homes.