Responses of people of different ages to health problems

There is relatively little information available about the response of people of different ages, particularly elderly people, to symptoms of ill health. This background information is essential for altering inappropriate responses, for such responses may cause long delays or even a complete lack of treatment for people who may be responsive to such treatment. This paper indicates that older people may not choose as wide a range of different health care services as younger people. They tend to concentrate their attention on calling the general practitioner or, in the case of foot trouble, the chiropodist, without recourse to other services. In particular, they tend to avoid using the emergency services, even where appropriate, and prefer to refer problems to the general practitioners, rather than the practice or community-based nurses. It will be necessary to help older people to understand the wider roles that nurses in particular are undertaking if primary care is to be seen as the central focus of health services in future. There is need for more health education by general practitioners for elderly people. This is especially important since the role of general practitioners is likely to change as the emphasis on primary care increases.