Care for older people: experiences

We know that many older people will have experienced both good and bad care.

Here are some stories of older people who have recently accessed health and social care services, their personal experiences, and how they think care could improve.

Hannah's story

"My experience has been very positive and I feel as if I’ve contributed to care in the future to patients who have been newly diagnosed with arthritis."

Hannah told her story to us in 2016: watch the video

Nira's story

"I am a carer for my elderly sister-in-law who was recently admitted to our local hospital. She does not speak English and at no point was she offered an interpreter. This was frustrating experience for me as her carer, but it also highlighted the issues faced by people who are non-English speaking."

Pauline's story

"I receive daily personal care at home. I don’t always see the same carer each day and they change frequently. My care could be so much more satisfactory if it were possible to build a relationship say with a small group of carers on rotation."

Geraldine's story

"Since my mum has changed GPs she has become so much stronger. I also feel confident that my mum will get end of life care that is painless and comfortable."

Glen's story

"I’ve been visiting cardiac patients as a volunteer for nearly 27 years. Many of the patients I visit need support and information about their cardiac conditions before making important decisions about their care. I would really encourage hospitals to look at ways to offer this type of service to their patients."