Older people: professional resources

• Commitment to Care of People living with Dementia. This guidance sets out the five principles that form a shared commitment to improving care for people living with dementia and their families
  
• A positive choice - Everyday stories of nursing excellence in older people’s care. Published by RCN Scotland, this report comprises of eight stories celebrating the compassion and expertise of nurses and health care support workers (HCSWs) who care for older people in Scotland
• Care of older people subject guide. 
• Older people in care homes: Sex, Sexuality and Intimate Relationships. Guidance for nurses and care staff work effectively with issues of sexuality, intimate relationships, sexual expression and sex, particularly people living in care homes.
• Safer staffing for older people's wards. You can use this RCN toolkit resource and calculator to determine whether the staff levels in the older people’s wards at the hospital where you work meet the recommendations set out in the RCN's Safe Staffing for older people’s wards report
• Social prescribing. Social prescribing refers to a wide range of alternative methods to promoting health and well-being including mental health in today’s modern health care settings
  

Useful resources

• Age and Ageing (2018) The assessment of pain in older people: UK national guidelines
• Age UK. professional resources. Resources and information on the Age UK website for nursing staff working with older people
• Cochrane Library. Hygiene and emollient interventions for maintaining skin integrity in older people in hospital and residential care settings. This review looks at the effects of washing and moisturising practices on the skin health of older people in hospital and residential care settings
• Department of Health. Older people. Section of the Department of Health website that brings together policy and guidance for older people
• NHS England. A practice primer on mental health in older people
• NICE. Older people. Webpage from NICE that signposts the latest clinical guidelines, quality standards, pathways and advice for the care of older people
• NICE. Social care for older people with multiple long term conditions quality standard (QS132)
• Relatives & Residents Association. Keys to Care. This app covers different topics ranging from the practicalities of the Care Plan, Continence Care and Mouth & Teeth Care to the deeply sensitive issues of Dementia and End of Life Care
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Older people. Section of the SCIE website that brings together all of the resources produced by SCIE which are relevant to care of older people. Resources include relevant videos from Social Care TV
• SIGN (2020). Management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures. This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the management of osteoporosis and prevention of fractures.

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Older people - service framework documents
The Framework aims to improve the health and well-being of older people, their carers and families by setting 46 standards.

Scottish Government: Reshaping care for older people: a Programme for Change 2011-2021
Initiative aimed at improving services for older people by shifting care towards anticipatory care and prevention.

Welsh Government: The strategy for older people in Wales 2013-2023
Strategy that focuses on ensuring that older people in Wales have the social, environmental and financial resources they need to deal with the challenges and opportunities they face.