Blog

Many of you will have seen the ‘teaser’ for the film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s ‘Allelujah’ at the BGS Autumn Meeting in November 2022. Or perhaps some of you were fortunate enough to see the original theatre production, either in person at The Bridge Theatre or, like me, as a cinema relay. 

The publication of the Lancet Commission Report on Dementia prevention, intervention, and care in 2017 brought hearing loss into the spotlight as a leading potentially modifiable risk factor for late-life dementia. 

Age and Ageing is the journal of the British Geriatrics Society and is currently the highest-ranked Geriatrics and Gerontology journal, with a with a Journal Impact Factor™ of 12.782 in 2022 (Journal Citation Reports, Clarivate, 2022). Age and Ageing is constantly seeking new clinicians and academics from a wide range of backgrounds to peer-review for the journal, in order to ensure the publication of rigorous scientific research of clinical relevance to the practice of geriatric medicine. 

There is a national shortage of geriatricians, with just 1 consultant geriatrician per 8,031 patients aged over 65 in the UK. This ratio is set to deteriorate further; the ageing population will increase the denominator, whilst there is little to no projected increase in the numerator.

It is a fact - at least in France - that patients with a myocardial infarction (MI) are referred to cardiologists as a priority. Of course, this makes sense when cardiovascular expertise is the priority, e.g. in the case of cardiogenic shock or in the case of ST segment elevation.

An award-winning paper published in Age and Ageing provides vital evidence for use by decision makers in the design, planning and provision of healthcare services for older people. Here two of the authors of the paper share their summary of the findings.

As we pass the winter solstice and the days start to lengthen, it feels hard to believe we will ever leave ‘winter’ in the NHS. Back-to-back ‘crises’ for health and social care, a perfect storm of a continuing pandemic/pandemic recovery, a chronically under-funded and under-staffed health service and social care sector and a cost of living crisis mean that our patients are going to struggle even more than usual this winter.

Winter infections have always been a problem for care homes and the residents that live in them. Those of us working in care of older people usually enter the festive season knowing that we’ll spend much of our time caring for care home residents affected by flu, pneumonia, and norovirus. Individual residents often fare poorly, and their difficulties are compounded when homes have to close due to outbreaks.

Multiple hospital organisational factors are associated with adverse patient outcomes post hip fracture in England and Wales: the REDUCE record-linkage cohort study.