Older People

As the population ages, the health and well being of older people and the provision of services to meet their needs becomes increasingly important.

There is no agreed definition of older or old people and people differ widely in what they consider to be old. Members of each age band are a very heterogeneous group and age is a very unreliable indicator of state of health or mental or physical capacity of any individual.

However it is also true that the probability of death or of suffering a wide range of health problems and limitations of function increase with increasing age. Any grouping into age band is arbitrary but in order to plan services it is helpful to consider the needs of the different age groups within the population.

With improved living conditions and better health care throughout life, life expectancy continues to increase. This, combined with declining birth rates has created an unprecedented shift in the age structure of our population, with dramatic increases in the proportion of the population aged over 65. The critical issue is whether people will spend these extra years in good physical and mental health, or in illness, distress and loss of independence.

• In 2005 16% of the population of England were aged 65 or over and 2% aged 85 or over. The highest percentage of older people are found in the South West region and the lowest in the London region.

• The commonest causes of death in those aged 75 years and over are Heart disease, Stroke, Cancer, respiratory disease and Gastro-intestinal disease.

• WMPHO: West Midlands Public Health Observatory - National PHO Lead for Older People

• Indications of Public Health in the English Regions 9: Older People

• Department of Health: Older People

• ONS: Office of National Statistics - Focus on Older People

• The NHS Information Centre: Older People - Dataset