By Stefan Morkis

A REVOLUTION in care methods will be required to cope with a massive rise in Scotland’s elderly population, a report published in Dundee yesterday has claimed.

In 20 years’ time, Scotland will have 60% more people over the age of 75 than it does now. This will create huge challenges for both the NHS and the care industry.

Researchers from Dundee University, led by Professor Jennifer Harris and Dr Norman Alm, were commissioned by Forfar’s Balhousie Care Group, which owns 16 residential care homes, to look at how residential care must change to cope with Scotland’s ageing population.

Their research was published yesterday and Professor Harris said the fact that people are living longer than ever before is forcing us to reconsider the stages of life—and how we live them.

She said we must consider a Third Age of life beyond childhood and adulthood.

“If we are to spend up to a third of our lives in a state that leaves work and child-rearing behind, what are we to do with this time?” she said.

“Excellent residential provision for older people in the future could aspire to embrace some of the spirit of optimism and adventure that lies behind the Third Age idea.

“Whatever plans this resulted in would need to be culturally appropriate and welcomed by residents and families, but we would recommend that this forward-looking and positive approach to ageing be at the least a guiding principle of good residential care for older people.”

As the population grows older, there will be an increasing number of patients with dementia moving into care.

“The elderly population in Scotland is growing—by around 60% more people over 75 in the next 20 years—and the residential care market has to think how to accommodate that,” said Dr Alm.

“Within that population there are issues such as increasing rates of dementia.

“Potential residents and their families are also becoming more discerning as recipients of this care and rightly are demanding the highest quality.”

The report, called A Vision for High-Quality Residential Care for Older People in Scotland, says older people who enter care will tend to be frailer and in more need of specialist care than in the past.

“The objective for care of the elderly must be to retain as much as possible of the desirable features of the family support system and to try to find innovative ways to add advantages to living in care,” added Dr Alm.

The report was launched at Dundee University’s Queen Mother building.