Doctor urges age-friendly approach
services in the region also include a specialist mental health team and community support service.
She said the people referred to the unit had complex medical needs, coupled with social or psychological issues.
But one of the biggest issues Stokes and her staff dealt with was the anxiety families felt about elderly loved ones. This was especially so for older people still living in their own homes, where concerns about social isolation often arose. This is an area where Stokes believed the wider community had a key role to play. She said the days of looking out for our older people appeared to have waned in recent times but it was not incumbent on the health system to step into the breach.
‘‘The fix for that is not funded day programmes,’’ she said. ‘‘Actually, we have to pick that up as a community.’’
Stokes said it could be as simple as saying hello to your elderly neighbour over the fence or offering to put out their rubbish. All of these casual encounters helped to enhance a person’s general wellbeing.
Her call for a more agefriendly approach coincided with the fact New Zealanders were living longer.
National population projections show life expectancy rates, for some, are expected to hit 96 years by 2068.
At that rate, the country’s population in that year would be around 6.4 million. The 65 plus age group would be close to 2 million and those aged 85 or older would number about 600,000.
Stokes said demand for the TDHB geriatric services had grown in recent years but the majority of people aged 65 years or over in the region were ‘‘fit, healthy and active’’.
However, cognitive issues were going to become more prevalent in the future as they were associated with the ageing process, Stokes said.