20.12.12
More than just a number
Macmillan Cancer Support has set out a series of recommendations to tackle age discrimination in the NHS, an issue which is increasingly highlighted by concerned parties.
The common sense approach is to treat patients as holistic beings, with their own individual levels of physical, cognitive and social ability. Older patients are more than just their age, and should not be treated any differently from younger patients.
To ensure this is actually adopted throughout the NHS, greater specialised training, working closely with other caregivers and the third sector could help to change perceptions.
In a society where little value is placed on old age, it can be seen as acceptable to ration life-saving treatment and treat such patients with derision. It is not, and the NHS must take steps to change this.
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