The five challenges of older patients in medical facilities

As the Coronavirus ravages its way across the globe, the elderly is being warned to protect themselves. Known to be at a high risk of complications from the virus, hospitals across the UK are bracing themselves for an influx in older patients being admitted.

Even without a deadly virus to contend with, staff can find it challenging to take care of older patients in medical facilities. Here, we’ll look at just five challenges of older patients in hospitals and how they can be potentially overcome.

1. Dealing with complex health needs

Even without a global pandemic to worry about, older patients often come with complex health needs. This means they require long-term or continuously care. Many have chronic health conditions which require a lot of specialised care.

There are a number of challenges associated with taking care of older patients with complex health needs. This is especially true when staff are also trying to treat those affected by the recent pandemic. It places a lot of pressure onto hospitals and healthcare facilities.

2. The risk of infection

Older patients are known to be at a higher risk of infection. When admitted into hospital, they have an increased chance of picking up an infection. This risk is increased further when there’s a pandemic.

Hospitals are torn about whether they should be treating older patients in hospital or at home. In the patients own home, there isn’t the equipment that may be needed to address any complications. However, in hospital there is the risk they could develop an infection, further putting their health at risk. It’s a challenge that is difficult to overcome yet it can prove life-threatening for older patients.  

3. Handling patient flow

Experts have long been warning about the strain our aging population is placing on NHS staff. With more older people in our population than ever before, the number of elderly patients being admitted to hospital is continuously increasing.

Now, with the Coronavirus going around, hospitals are going to see even more older patients admitted than usual. This makes it very difficult to deal with the increased patient flow. That’s where patient flow solutions become crucial. Data needs to be quickly shared between healthcare workers to treat older patients as quickly as possible.

4. Not enough experienced staff

Another issue medical facilities face is that there aren’t enough experienced staff. As older people do have more complex and demanding needs, they require a specialist type of care. The NHS is currently understaffed, which means finding enough skilled nurses and doctors to take care of the influx of older patients is proving challenging.

5. The costs involved

Finally, another challenge medical facilities are facing is the cost of elderly care. As many do have complex health needs, these can prove costly to organisations such as the NHS. While the government is providing funding to cover the issues faced by the NHS regarding the recent Coronavirus outbreak, more long-term funding needs to be provided to help staff deal with our aging population.

These are just five of the most common challenges faced by medical facilities when it comes to older patients. Many are currently at breaking point due to the outbreak, making it more important that ever to find solutions.