The SUSTAIN project - sustainable tailored integrated care for the elderly in Europe
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Valiotis, G
Davids, Joseph
Ashrafian, Hutan
Type
Chapter
Abstract
With the global aging population across various diasporas attributed to rising life expectancy from advances in medicine, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that the population aged 60 years or more will double by 2050 with those aged 80 years or more numbering over 400 million.
Management of elderly patients is complex due to poly-comorbidity and poly-pharmacy. This is compounded by limited investment in sustainable measures for effective care delivery as well as financial limitations to support it.
Moreover, elderly patients are more vulnerable and have safeguarding concerns that need to be addressed and anticipated to better serve their needs. This means that infrastructure must be carefully designed, tailored to their needs and maintained to ensure that care bundles both in-hospital and within the community are effectively co-ordinated for optimal delivery of care. This is easier said than done, even for developed economies with set-ups to support ageing communities.
However, elderly care systems across most of Europe are fragmented with poor co-ordination that limits the effective implementation of systematic healthcare for elderly patients. This case study by the European Health Management Association, presents the SUSTAIN project that has looked at addressing this issue of integrated care for elderly patients.
Management of elderly patients is complex due to poly-comorbidity and poly-pharmacy. This is compounded by limited investment in sustainable measures for effective care delivery as well as financial limitations to support it.
Moreover, elderly patients are more vulnerable and have safeguarding concerns that need to be addressed and anticipated to better serve their needs. This means that infrastructure must be carefully designed, tailored to their needs and maintained to ensure that care bundles both in-hospital and within the community are effectively co-ordinated for optimal delivery of care. This is easier said than done, even for developed economies with set-ups to support ageing communities.
However, elderly care systems across most of Europe are fragmented with poor co-ordination that limits the effective implementation of systematic healthcare for elderly patients. This case study by the European Health Management Association, presents the SUSTAIN project that has looked at addressing this issue of integrated care for elderly patients.
Editor(s)
Azzopardi Muscat, Natasha
Date Issued
2021-12-02
Citation
1st Meeting of the Minds: vol. 5, 2021, pp.47-52
ISBN
978-2-8325-1222-7
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Start Page
47
End Page
52
Journal / Book Title
1st Meeting of the Minds: vol. 5
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
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