Golden oldie

Today, a look at some of the resources on care of the elderly. No prizes for spotting a pattern here - many of the same places that offer information and resources on men, women and children also cover later life.

The NLH has a Specialist Library on Later Life, and those on Palliative and Supportive Care, Mental Health and Muscuoloskeletal Diseases might also be of interest.

The BBC has a special section on health for the over fifties. For further information they suggest the sections on cancer (breast awareness and prostate), bereavement and arthritis.

From the Department of Health comes a slew of relevant National Service Frameworks - Long Term Conditions, diabetes, CHD and COPD. The section on integrated care covers hospital discharge, NHS funded nursing care and end of life care. There is also a section on privacy and dignity and general section on older people as part of the DH's information on adult social care.

Those nice people at Journal Watch have a section dedicated to aging and geriatrics (their words, not mine). On the library current awareness page there are sections on long term conditions, diabetes and cancer, as well as link to a separate weekly mental health bulletin.

The BMA Library website has suggestions for books, journals and website with information on health of the elderly. The GP Notebook has a section on geriatric medicine.

Age Concern has advice on everything from bogus callers and losing a partner to moving abroad and getting a job. Later Life is a website for people in their fifties and over. They have advice on jobs, dating, travel and health, as well as offering retirement courses. SAGA has a similarly wide spread of information. Patient UK has a lot of links for information for and about the elderly and NHS Choices has an over 60s page. The Citizen's Advice Bureau has information on wills, benefits and finances.

There are various organisations with information and support on elder abuse - Action on Elder Abuse, Help the Aged and Age Concern.

In the library, consider books on palliative care, communication, bereavement and grief, dementia, rehabilitation, community care, quality of life and falls as well as traditional care of the elderly titles.

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