{"id":992,"date":"2017-02-13T15:35:08","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T15:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/?p=992"},"modified":"2017-02-14T15:15:59","modified_gmt":"2017-02-14T15:15:59","slug":"mental-wellbeing-and-the-experiences-of-older-people-in-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/mental-wellbeing-and-the-experiences-of-older-people-in-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental wellbeing and the experiences of older people in hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This post is based on a <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/orca-mwe.cf.ac.uk\/97940\/1\/606.pdf\"><em>paper<\/em><\/a><em> that appears in the first issue of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesdj.org.uk\/\">The Student Doctor Journal<\/a>, an imprint of Cardiff University Press.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As the population ages, we will likely see greater numbers of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcpsych.ac.uk\/PDF\/WhoCaresWins.pdf\">older people in hospitals<\/a>. Complex care needs and multiple co-morbidities can prolong older patients\u2019 time in hospital. As those in later life represent an increasing proportion of the hospital population, I believe there is a need for wider exploration of the experiences of older patients in hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, I spent some time comparing the clinical outcomes of acutely unwell, older people with dementia admitted to different ward environments: single rooms and traditional multi-bed wards. Whilst <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3417\/2\/1\/4\">my project<\/a> focused on empirical, measurable clinical outcomes, I frequently wondered how these 100 patients would have described their time in hospital; how it made them feel.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the patients I encountered had spent months in hospital; most on the same ward, and many in the same beds. Most patients had relatively poor mobility and all had cognitive impairment in varying degrees.<\/p>\n<p>I imagined myself in the place of some of these patients as they approached their sixth, seventh, eighth months on the wards. If I were immobile, consigned to my bed in a single room with the sole company of a puzzle book and television, I would likely become bored within a few days. After a few weeks, with limited social interaction, I might begin to feel quite isolated. Fortunately, the likelihood of people in their early twenties spending many months in hospital is reasonably low. If I were to find myself in this position, my mood would almost inevitably suffer.<\/p>\n<p>Besides age, there are social, cultural, and numerous other factors which may influence personal experiences of hospital, but if <em>my <\/em>mental wellbeing would suffer under these quite common circumstances, why wouldn\u2019t that of somebody fifty years my senior?<\/p>\n<p>Depression, though common in older individuals, is <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ageing\/article\/41\/2\/148\/47234\/Depression-in-older-people-in-the-general-hospital\">often under-reported<\/a>. Symptoms of deteriorating mental health, such as weight loss and fatigue, can be attributed to existing medical disorders. In the one hundred acutely unwell older people with dementia I observed after admission to two different NHS hospitals, rates of comorbid, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3417\/2\/1\/4\">diagnosed depression were 26 and 34 %<\/a>. I fear that in patients such as these, prolonged periods of admission may have even more marked consequences.<\/p>\n<p>With health and social care resources strained, the modest question of whether older people feel lonely in hospital may seem trivial. However, <em>if <\/em>elderly patients do experience loneliness, isolation or indeed any sustained challenges to mental wellbeing, there is surely the potential for this to pose more clinically significant challenges to their overall mental health in hospital too.<\/p>\n<p>Experiences of hospital vary; I am wary of further postulation or of drawing conclusions about the hospital experiences of a diverse section of the hospital population. \u00a0As the general population continues to both grow and age, I believe the social and potential psychological consequences of hospitalisation are worthy of ever more attention. With wider exploration, investigation and discussion, I hope to be able to speak with more certainty of the nature of older generations\u2019 hospital experiences.<\/p>\n<p><em>Caitlin Young is an undergraduate in medicine doing an intercalary year in neuroscience.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This post is based on a paper that appears in the first issue of The Student Doctor Journal, an imprint of Cardiff University Press. As the population ages, we will [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1215,"featured_media":993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-mental-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7swiU-g0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1058,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/the-carers-rollercoaster\/","url_meta":{"origin":992,"position":0},"title":"The carer\u2019s rollercoaster","author":"George Drummond","date":"14 March 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"George Drummond talks about life as a carer, coping strategies and an innovative care solution. There are around 670,000 carers of people with dementia in the UK, often close family members who desperately want to do more but often feel helpless as they watch their loved one experience a devastating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alzheimer's&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alzheimer's","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/alzheimers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/IMG_2315.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":856,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/afterwhitchurch\/","url_meta":{"origin":992,"position":1},"title":"#AfterWhitchurch","author":"Ben Hannigan","date":"16 November 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The closure of Whitchurch Hospital to inpatients in spring 2016 provided the backdrop for #AfterWhitchurch, a collaborative Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)\/Cardiff University Festival of Social Science event focusing on the changing system of mental health care hosted at Cardiff\u2019s Chapter Arts on November 10th 2016. 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This health inequality is well known. Many health policies world-wide are seeking to close this health gap. Health promotion and improving access to health services\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Adult mental health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2024\/04\/View-from-Southern-Cross-Campus-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1210,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/why-mindfulness-matters-in-medical-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":992,"position":3},"title":"Why mindfulness matters in medical education","author":"Dr Craig Hassed","date":"18 July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is based on a paper that appears in the second issue of The British Student Doctor Journal, an imprint of Cardiff University Press. There are many challenges associated with being a young doctor. These include managing stress, burnout, and maintaining good mental health and a healthy approach to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Diagnosis, treatments and well-being&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Diagnosis, treatments and well-being","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/diagnosis-treatments-well-being\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/07\/mindfulness.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1566,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/meet-the-researcher-amy-lynham-research-associate-psychosis-and-major-affective-disorders\/","url_meta":{"origin":992,"position":4},"title":"Meet the Researcher &#8211; Amy Lynham, Research Associate, Psychosis and Major Affective Disorders","author":"Amy Lynham","date":"11 September 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Why did you choose to do research into mental health? I studied psychology at university because I was fascinated by the brain and human behaviour. 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The centenary of the Great War\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Adult mental health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/11\/angels-of-mons.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/11\/angels-of-mons.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/11\/angels-of-mons.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/11\/angels-of-mons.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/02\/iStock-531917486.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1215"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=992"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":998,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions\/998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}