A comparative study of healthcare and placement needs among older forensic patients in a high secure versus medium/low secure hospital setting

摘要

It is predicted that there will be a significant growth in the population aged over 65 years in the U.K., from 15.9% in 2000 to 23.3% in 2050, with the fastest growth rate being among the oldest old (United Nations, 2005). In line with such growth, there will be a commensurate increase in the population of older people suffering from psychiatric conditions. This will lead to a demand for increased health care services and the need for reorganization and prioritization of resources channeled into health care for this group.An area in healthcare provision for older people which is both under-researched and suffers from a lack of adequate services in the U.K. are services for older psychiatric patients with a history of offending or forensic patients (Nnatu et ah, 2005).