Derry elderly encouraged to share hospital experiences for Age NI research

The NI Assembly’s Health Committee is encouraging older people across NI to get involved in research by Age NI and share their experience of an unplanned stay in hospital. The study has been commissioned by the NI Frailty Network, which is part of the Public Health Agency, and is also supported by Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Nursing.

The My Hospital Journey study wants to hear from people aged 65 and over who have had an unplanned stay in hospital in the past 12 months.

The research will give older people the opportunity to share what it’s like to have been admitted to hospital unexpectedly, the care they received as an inpatient and the support they were provided with after they were discharged. The research also wants to find out if older people are encouraged to get out of bed and move about when in hospital.

Philip McGuigan, Chair of the Health Committee said: “I would like to commend Age NI for gathering this important information which will help give policy makers a better understanding of older people’s experiences of unplanned visits to hospitals.

"We have an ageing population, more and more older people are going to have unplanned visits to hospitals and it’s important that we know about the experiences they have. I would encourage everyone to participate in this survey which will help make important decisions moving forward.”

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Kellie Turtle, Age NI Head of Policy and Engagement said: “We know that many older people worry about what a stay in hospital might mean for them. As our population is ageing rapidly, the health system must adapt to the needs of older people in need of hospital care. With this research we hope to hear directly from older people about their experiences, so that we can find out more about what is working well and where there is room for improvement.”

Alison Patterson, Coordinator of the NI Frailty Network said: “We want to ensure that when older adults spend time in hospital that they get the best possible experience and outcome.

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"We know that sometimes an admission to hospital is necessary and we want to hear from people aged 65 and over, or their carer, about your recent experience.  The findings from this important study will influence decisions about how services are delivered going forward.”

People aged 65 and over are invited to fill in the survey that is open on Age NI’s website until July 31: https://www.ageni.org/news/hospital-journey/. There will also be an option of a follow up interview for anyone who would like to talk in more detail about their hospital stay.

For more information CLICK HERE or call Age NI on 028 9024 5729 to have a paper copy of the survey posted or to request support to fill the survey in over the phone.