Primary Care for Older People

Abstract Primary Care for Older People is a contemporary reference work on health problems in later life written exclusively by primary care professionals for primary care professionals that: integrates nursing and medical perspectives on clinical practice and service organisation. understands that well-intentioned changes in practice and service provision can have harmful effects on patients, professionals and the health service is still able to offer positive guidance to individual practitioners, practices and Primary Care Groups, about best practice and innovative multi-disciplinary care for an ageing population. It is aimed at doctors, nurses, health visitors and social workers who are trying to combine care of individuals with an understanding of the needs of whole communities. Its themes are relevant to teachers in different professional disciplines, to members of Primary Care Group and Trust Boards, to planners and managers of primary care services, as well as to practitioners. The authors bring to this book their experience in general practice and community nursing, their expertise in service development and management, and their awareness of primary care research. Dr. Steve Iliffe has been an inner-city general practitioner in London since 1978, and is Reader in General Practice at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, where he is co-director of the Centre for Ageing Population Studies (CAPS) and manages the Primary Care for Older People research and development programme. He can be contacted at s.iliffe@ucl.ac.uk. Vari Drennan has been a community health service manager , specialist health visitor for older people and health visitor since 1980 and is currently a senior lecturer in primary care nursing in the Department of Primary Care & Population Sciences at the Royal Free and University College Medical School. She can be contacted at v.drennnan@ucl.ac.uk,