The silent generation: Experiences of older people in hospital

Abstract

No conflicts of interest to declareOur population is ageing and two thirds of those admitted to hospitals are now over 65. (1) The complex medical and social needs of older people place a unique and growing load on healthcare resources. In return, hospital admission can take its own toll on older people, fostering functional decline and development of geriatric syndromes. For older people, hospital stays can be lengthy; I recently came across a patient on their two-hundred-and-twenty-second day in hospital, marooned in a private room with dementia and a femoral fracture. Meeting patients such as this often makes me wonder how older people would describe their experience of hospital. I expect the patient felt lonely -I know I would -though regrettably, I didn't ask.