AWN WEEKLY ALERT: DECEMBER 16

Informed National Strategies and Plans

(UK) Involving older people in service commissioning: more power to their elbow?
Does older people's involvement in commissioning and service delivery herald a bright new future? With the individual at the heart of the wider public service reform agenda, this research set out to investigate what happens when older people are given the opportunity to shape service commissioning and delivery. The study also raises wider questions about the impact of their involvement, particularly whether it can change the nature of local power relations in the long term. Dorset and Salford were identified as two areas where structures and processes exist which encourage and facilitate the involvement of older people in local decision-making.
Link to report: Involving older people in service commissioning: more power to their elbow? (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)  

(AUS) Elderly most at risk of climate change, says report
The public focus needs to move on to the risks to human health rather than just the environment, say researchers. Darragh O Keeffe reports: Climate change will lead to greater injuries, disease and deaths in the decades to come, according to a new report which says health professionals and organisations have a responsibility to show leadership and educate the public. The report by the Climate Commission, an independent body of climate scientists and policy makers, says vulnerable members of the community – the elderly, along with children and those living in remote areas – are most at risk.
Link to article: Elderly most at risk of climate change, says report (Aged Care Insite)

(IRE) Ageing Globally-Ageing Locally 2011: Oral Presentations Now Available
You can now access oral presentations from CARDI's international conference Ageing Globally-Ageing Locally 2011, which took place on the 2 & 3 November.
Link to oral presentations: Ageing Globally-Ageing Locally 2011: Oral Presentations Now Available (CARDI)

Enjoy an adequate income: Employment, Pensions and Retirement

(IRE) Understanding fuel poverty in the older population in Ireland, North and South
CARDI funded an all-island study in December 2009, led by Professor Patrick Goodman, DIT, in conjunction with the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, which builds on existing knowledge on fuel poverty but with a particular focus on older people. It involved an analysis of existing data and research on fuel poverty, a survey with older people on fuel povertyissues in ROI and an examination of mortality patterns in NI and ROI. It also identifies the groups among the older population who are most at risk of fuel poverty and its implications for their health and well-being.
Link to report: Understanding fuel poverty in the older population in Ireland, North and South (CARDI)

(US) Global Aging: How companies can adapt to the new reality
In this report, we show how the aging of societies will affect labor dynamics, GDP growth, the availability of capital, and consumer needs—all of which will influence corporate strategies. We also address the steps that companies must take to adapt to the new climate. Amid a great deal of macroeconomic and financial market uncertainty, one thing remains clear: only those organizations that proactively prepare for the demographic shifts to come will be able to meet the challenges and capture the opportunities.
Link to report: Global Aging: How companies can adapt to the new reality (Boston Consulting Group)

Other News:
(AUS) Consultative Forum on Mature Age Participation (Dept of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations - Report)
(INT) It’s time to manage age: Overview of labour market practices affecting older workers in Europe Valuing Older Workers (Adecco – Report)
(US) Why you may feel down at work (Boston Globe) 

Health

(IRE) Report provides snapshot of latest Irish health research initiatives
New technology to deliver inhaled genetic therapies effectively in lung disease and evidence that brushing your teeth every day can reduce risk of heart attack and stroke are among the results of 105 projects completed by Health Research Board (HRB)-funded researchers in 2010. The results have served to reaffirm Minister for Health Dr James Reilly’s belief in the value of health research. In a foreword of an HRB report, A Picture of Health 2011, which captures just some of that research completed last year, Dr Reilly said health research contributed to delivering a better healthcare system and improved standards of wellbeing. The report focuses on the relevance, value and potential impact of this research on people’s health, the delivery of health services and the formulation of health policy.
Link to article: Report provides snapshot of latest Irish health research initiatives (Irish Medical Times)
Link to report: Picture of Health 2011 (Health Research Board)

(AUS) Independence in dementia's early stages
West Australian community nursing organisation Silver Chain is developing a new program to help people in the early stages of dementia regain or maintain independence, through their partnership with Curtin University. Silver Chain’s research director, Professor Gill Lewin from Curtin University’s Centre for Research on Ageing, is leading the project to develop a new version of the non-profit community care provider’s successful Home Independence Program (HIP), in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Australia WA. Professor Lewin said there was mounting evidence indicating that personalised early interventions could successfully help people with mild cognitive impairment maintain their independence for longer. Anecdotal reports from Silver Chain staff had also revealed that clients with mild memory loss were already receiving beneficial interventions through the original HIP, which excludes those with a dementia diagnosis.
Link to article: Independence in dementia's early stages (Australian Ageing Agenda)

Engagement and Age-friendly communities

(AUS) Recipe for an age-friendly Australia
The Treasurer’s Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians handed down its third and final report yesterday, with a heavy focus on active ageing among 36 recommendations on “turning grey into gold”. The new report looks forward to 2050, setting out a bold vision to “embed a national ageing agenda in Australia” though initiatives at all levels of government, according to the panel chair, Everald Compton. The far-reaching report goes beyond ideas to fight age discrimination and keep older Australians in the workforce, into policy suggestions on encouraging lifelong learning and increasing the availability of age-appropriate affordable housing.
Link to article: Recipe for an age-friendly Australia (Australian Ageing Agenda)
Link to report: The Economic Potential of Senior Australians Advisory Panel

(IRE) 10% rise in cases of alleged elder abuse
Over 2,000 cases of alleged elder abuse were reported to the Health Service Executive in 2010, an increase of 10% from 2009. The HSE has said that the number of referrals of alleged elder abuse has increased every year since 2008, when it began collecting official figures. Provisional figures for 2011 up to the end of September show that 1,511 cases of alleged elder abuse were referred to the Executive. Some 65% of referrals related to women and in 95% of cases the abuse occurred in a person's place of residence.
Link to article: 10% rise in cases of alleged elder abuse (RTE News)

Other News:
(NI) hi-tech scheme which will enable more patients to monitor their health in their own home (Northern Ireland Executive)
(AUS) Demographics will force a shift to positive ageing (Aged Care Insite)
(US) Shift Workers And Older People Experience Social Exclusion (Medical News Today)
(UK) Con artists are 'targeting dementia sufferers' (BBC News)
(AUS) Gardening proves beneficial for seniors (Aged Care Insite)
(AUS) Getting wise to the smart home (Aged Care Insite)

Live in a place like home: Long-term care, independent living and carers

(IRE) The implementation of a model of person-centred practice in older person settings final report
This national two year practice development programme in the Republic of Ireland (2007-2009) has significantly built on the learning and recommendations of a pilot practice development programme that was undertaken in the Midlands Region (2005-2007). The national programme was also influenced by broader international theoretical and methodological developments in practice development, especially those within the International Practice Development Collaborative. In particular, the programme has built on the findings of the first systematic review of practice development. In this review the authors identified nine key issues that need to be addressed in order for practice development to have a desired impact. The programme was managed and delivered by the University of Ulster.
Link to report: The implementation of a model of person-centred practice in older person settings final report (HSE)

(UK) Home care often fails to meet older people’s basic rights, says inquiry
The Commission's inquiry into the home care system in England reveals disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want. The final report of the Commission’s inquiry, 'Close to home: older people and human rights in home care', says hundreds of thousands [1] of older people lack protection under the Human Rights Act and calls for this legal loophole to be closed. It questions commissioning practices that focus on a rigid list of tasks, rather than what older people actually want, and that give more weight to cost than to an acceptable quality of care.
Link to article: Home care often fails to meet older people’s basic rights, says inquiry (Equality and Human Rights Commission)
Link to report: Close to home: An inquiry into older people and human rights in home care (Equality and Human Rights Commission)

(CAN) Not to be Forgotten: Care of Vulnerable Canadians
Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care presents a report based on testimony to the committee, on palliative care of Canadians, and a variety of problems (such as elder abuse) facing older citizens.
Link to report: Not to be Forgotten: Care of Vulnerable Canadians

Other News:
(IRE) Mixed reaction to radical report on future care of Ulster’s elderly (CARDI)
(AUS) Stakeholders report on aged care reform progress (Aged Care Insite)
(US) Significant Findings from First Ever National Survey of CCRC Residents’ Families (Aging in Action)
(US) The Nursing Home Exodus, Part 2 (New York Times)
(AUS) Group homes for people with dementia prove effective (Aged Care Insite)