Advancing long term care: central European perspectives.

摘要

Over the next 15 years, the number of people older than 80 years is predicted to double in Europe from 4% to 8% of the total European population; by 2040 the number will increase from present 4% to 9% in the 15 "old" EU countries and in the new ones from 3% to 8%. The rate of growth of people aged 80 years and older is outpacing the growth of all other age segments of the European population. Population aging is global and health policy experts predict a consequent rise in demand for long term care solutions of which nursing homes will be a key element. An indication of nursing home provision in the region is shown in Table 1. The percentage of people older than 65 years in nursing homes ranges from 0.75% to 20%; accurate figures for people older than 85 years were not possible to discern. In the United Kingdom, however, the current figure is 20% compared with 4% of over 65s. In 2010, we published the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG)-World Health Organization (WHO) Taskforce recommendations for the global nursing home care development agenda designed to address the known variation in quality of older persons' experience around the world. This highlighted the need to develop nursing home leadership capacity and capabilities, to develop the evidence base for practice, and establish mechanisms to share best practice.