Pensioners to Play an Important Role in the Future Medical Treatment of Older People
10/06/2008
Some 7,000 surveys are to be sent out to patients from 10 practices across Gloucestershire this month (June).
These contain easy-to-answer and anonymous questionnaires that have been designed to show the general state of health among today’s older people.The mass survey follows a similar exercise in 1998 when some 5,000 pensioners took part.
Dr Ian Donald of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Department of Old Age Medicine said the new questionnaire would ask the same questions as those posed 10 years ago so that comparisons could be made between then and today. “Our population is getting older – almost a quarter are over 65 – but in what sort of health is it?” said Dr Donald. “Are old people fitter today than in the past or are we becoming fatter and lazier? “Perhaps in this county our older people are ageing well. “Research is rather unsure about the answer to this, and UK studies suggest that our extra years of living may be combined with extra years of disability. “We want to find out what is happening in Gloucestershire. Ten years ago we achieved an 80% response and we need as many replies as we can get to make the survey meaningful and representative.”
One in seven pensioners over the age of 75 across the county is to be sent a questionnaire during June and completed responses should be returned in its accompanying reply-paid envelope.
For more information please contact Susan Bradley, communications specialist, on 08454 223120.
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