Centre for Policy on Ageing



Low expectations reinforced — experiences of health services in advanced old age
Author(s)	Gail Wilson
Journal title	IN: Community care: asking the carers; edited by Gail Wilson, 1995
Publisher	Chapman and Hall, London, 1995
Pages	pp 69-82
Source	Chapman and Hall, 2-6 Boundary Row, London SE1 8HN.
Keywords	Over 70s ; Health services ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; Quality ; Social surveys.
Annotation	This chapter reports on a project interviewing a group of fitter than average older people aged 75 to 96 on their experiences of health services. Very few had any complaints, but most recounted experiences which appeared to the researchers to indicate poor service: insensitivity and ignorance on the part of professionals; poor communication; lack of respect; and failure to understand their living situations. Ageism appeared to be very common and to contribute to the experience of poor services in many different ways, with most staff unaware of this aspect of their practice. Surveys of users based on the staff perspective are thus unlikely to pick it up.
Accession Number	CPA-970303003 B
Classmark	BBK: L: TOB: 59: 3F
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.