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A simple overview of some the local and national support on Bucks Health Hub for older people, including general information on health, is provided under
Approaching 3 million people have more than 3 long- term conditions, many of them are older people. The good news is that better management of any condition can improve quality of life.
Support for emergencies and general information
Stopping both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect can be found under
An overview of medical conditions is found under Overview Adult Health. This includes
You can find many of the common long-term conditions under
Under the practice section on long term conditions, we consider a broad approach which many find helpful.
There is good support for mental health in older people both locally and nationally, a significant proportion of which can be accessed directly without needing to go through the practice.
Local and national support include
Mental health conditions include
Dementia is well supported locally, see under
This includes
Please update your personal details on the practice system if you are a carer
Sometimes symptoms of anxiety or depression are mild, or a person may want to first try some steps themselves.
There are some simple steps which can make a real difference.
An attention to mental, social and physical wellbeing can make a real difference.
These areas should not necessarily be seen as separate, so for example joining a walking club can provide exercise which can help with mental wellbeing and give you the opportunity to meet other people.
Healthy living is considered here with local support you can access without needing a referral from your GP.
The value of considering healthy living goes beyond just a reduction in risk factors for a person’s long-term condition. It can also prevent the development of other long-term conditions and many cancers as explained under
It is important to acknowledge that changing any habit is not easy for any of us. Individually understanding how we can achieve any change on a permanent basis is an important step forward. There is more on this under
We know that what is going on in a patient’s whole life can have an important impact on their overall health. Here there are links to information on the social side of life including local support.
Some social support quick picks include
The flu vaccine has a protective impact particularly in those people who are at higher risk through age or having some long-term conditions. Vaccinations can have an important protective effect if recommended. There is information on
Many of the screening services take place outside the practice (e.g., bowel screening). You can access bowel, breast, and aortic aneuysm screening if you have been recommended any of these and missed your opportunity, see under
This includes
Reduce your risk of many conditions, including
Reducing the risk of
Staying safe is about knowing what to expect with any illness. Many conditions either get better on their own or improve with simple treatments. Occasionally symptoms may develop which can indicate the development of a serious condition. We consider some serious conditions and what symptoms, and signs might suggest urgent action.
There is a wide range of support both to help you stay at home, or if you prefer to stay in a care home or nursing home. This includes local support for carers.
Please update your personal details on the practice system if you are a carer
“Live longer better” was a phrase coined as part of a campaign to support older people in remaining, physically, cognitively and emotionally active. The vision of better ageing held by many medical leaders is covered under
There is some great local support you can access directly.
Self-referral involves accessing NHS health services and other support yourself without needing an appointment with your GP. This is explained further by patient info Self-referral | Patient.
Most of the local self-referral routes are covered under
For some of the more commonly used local self-referral pathways see “outside practice self referrals” under
There may be services in the local community close to the practice, which if available can be found under
Many common conditions have a support group which can be found if you look under the various conditions on
There are also many support groups for important groups of people. Support for All including:
Your local pharmacist can offer great support, see under
The NHS can be a complex maze particularly when it comes to local services. You can use the information on this website to help you find local services. You can also use the support of
There is good support which can signpost you to local services or provide you with transport. This can be found under
Support for safeguarding of adults (stopping both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect) can be found under
There may be support from one of our clinics or other services which has not been covered above and can be of help.
As Marie Curie suggest “Whatever stage you’re at in your life, it can be useful to plan for the future. Planning ahead can help make sure that other people know what you want and may make it more likely that your wishes will be understood and followed in the future. It can also give you more control over your future treatment and care. And it can make things easier for your family and friends, as they’ll know what you want.”
“Getting started with planning ahead.” Marie Curie website. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
The NHS website poses some important questions “Would your partner or family know:
These might not be easy topics to think about but, by discussing your wishes with your family, you could be saving them from having to help doctors make difficult decisions later on without knowing what you would have wanted.”
“Why plan ahead?” The NHS website. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
There is support for planning for the future, including steps you might take decades before your death, see under
This includes
The planning for the future checklist can help you better understand the options you have with any future planning and some of the local services available to help you. Any plan you make can be revisited and may change over time. The checklist is not submitted to the practice.
The checklist can be found under:
For a further explanation of checklists and some other checklists which may be helpful, see under
On the videos and podcasts page there are links to some relevant videos and podcasts covering various topics relating to older people.
We welcome feedback on your experience, including good experiences and where we can improve. This can easily be done through the Friends and Family Test found under