Healthy Ageing

The incidence of under nutrition among patients admitted to hospitals in UK is around 28% and is 25% greater in older people. Under nutrition results in longer lengths of stay in hospital. In care homes, 30% of residents were found to be undernourished.

This report summarises a roundtable event hosted by the BGS on 20 June 2024.

In advance of the general election on 4 July, BGS has outlined ten asks under three themes that the next Government needs to prioritise in order to improve healthcare for older people.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Age and Ageing, the journal of the British Geriatrics Society, has released a Special Issue on the Measurements of Healthy Ageing.

This article lays out UK Health Security Agency’s guidance on how healthcare professionals can best prepare for hot weather and how to look after patients in extreme heat.

Infectious diseases account for a significant proportion of hospital admissions and deaths in the elderly. Unfortunately the immunological response to vaccines in older individuals is less than that in younger adults. We assess best practice in immunisation programmes among older people.

This winter, respiratory illnesses, including COVID and flu, are prevalent across the NHS affecting both older people and the healthcare professionals who care for them. It is important for both older people and healthcare professionals to be vaccinated to give them the best chances of staying well. 

This report is intended to explore how messages of prevention and healthy ageing apply to a population group that may already be ill and frail, and to the healthcare professionals who care for them.

The first article in our fun-guarding series, George Coxon sets out what fun-guarding is and why it is important.

The BGS SE & SW Thames Joint Region Meeting 2019 was held on 16 October 2019 in West Sussex.

Many of our most important and fun moments relate to our family, explains David Attwood.

'Fun' and 'safe' do not have to be opposite concepts, writes Susan Shenkin.

Trisha Elliott reflects on how she would like fun to be guarded when she approaches frailty in older age.

Consider whether an activity will bring joy to an older person over whether it is socially appropriate, says Jenni Mack.

Talk to residents about what they want to achieve and you might be surprised, says Caroline Benham.

This briefing examines evidence on falls prevention from the Cochrane Library.

Strong, Steady and Straight is an expert consensus statement on physical activity and exercise for osteoporosis from the National Osteoporosis Society, supported by the BGS.

The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England is concerned about the significant impact that poor oral health is having on older people’s general health and quality of life.

Ignoring older patients’ potential for personal growth could be a form of ageism, according to Prof John Gladman. “People can still have personal growth independent of the negatives of physical decline and social loss and we should be asking ourselves how we can encourage that.

In this study, the Otago Exercise Programme is enhanced with behaviour change techniques with a view to improving adherence to home exercise in frail older people

Deconditioning and loss of functional abilities in frail older people may start soon after arriving in hospital. Many end up in a care home prematurely because of it. This campaign, with downloadable resources, aims to encourage patients to 'Sit up, get dressed, keep moving!'