A conference on palliative care in Dublin was told that older people received less palliative care than younger people and services tend to focus on cancer.
The conference, Palliative Care for Older People, was hosted by the Irish Association for Palliative Care and Our Lady's Hospice. The board of directors of the European Association for Palliative Care attended, and speakers included Dr Augusto Caraceni, a neurology specialist from Milan, Dr Marilene Filbet, a palliative care specialist from Lyons, and André Rhebergen from the national support centre for palliative care in Holland.
The conference aimed to highlight the requirement for care, as well as research and practice in the area. It also explored future challenges facing health and social care professionals and examined possible solutions.
The conference was told that the number of people aged 65 and over in the Republic would increase by almost three-quarters from 430,000 in 2001 to 741,000 in 2021, according to the Central Statistics Office. The highest increases are likely to be in the mideast and in Dublin.
The pattern of disease is also changing as more people are living with serious chronic circulatory and respiratory diseases.
Dr Peter Lawlor said the Republic would not always be the young nation of Europe. "As our population ages . . . we need to diversify and adapt our palliative care skills," he said.
