Elderly Care in the public eye: what changes might be seen in forthcoming years?

In light of the recent increased positive news touching on the social care sector, specifically the Elderly Care space – ranging from positive clinical trial results treating neurological cognitive disorders such as dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease; political changes shining a light on the need to better fund both the health and social care sectors; and the UK demographic shift – what impact could this mean for the wider Elderly Care sector in terms of funding, public perception, and future challenges?

The number of people living with dementia globally is forecast to more than triple to 153 million by 2050, demonstrating the scale of the disease, and the opportunity these medical treatment options present.

In the UK, it would potentially benefit 720,000 diagnosed with emerging Alzheimer’s disease, with the Alzheimer’s Society CEO – Kate Lee – observing that at present, only 2% of people in England and Wales receive their diagnosis through the specialist investigations needed to be eligible for these treatments. Clinical trial results showed that Eli Lily’s donanemab slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients by 35%, whilst Eisai and Biogen’s lecanemab – having published their results in late 2022 – also showed promise by reducing decline by 27%. With early-stage treatments looking to prevent nursing support quite so early, it will be interesting to monitor regulatory approval, and also NICE decisions around HNS-funded treatments, to understand what impact this might have to the UK Elderly Care sector. Unquestionably, the opportunity to offer a longer, more fulfilled lifestyle before seeking nursing home care will resonate with many.

As the UK demographics shift – the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that by 2040 nearly a quarter of the UK population will be over the age of 65 – demand on services ranging from Nursing Care, Domiciliary and Home Care, and Supported Living facilities will increase dramatically. With the well-documented staffing shortages in the sector, and the increased demands for services, there has been a noticeable increase in noise associated with technological and digital transformation to ease pressures, as well as the scope for international recruitment to satisfy demand.

Discussions around the digitization of social care are not new. However, there has been a dramatic increase in the adoption of AI and smart devices in the last year, with telemedicine and remote health monitoring devices used in settings to enable early detection of health issues, and assist with prompts, or reminders, to enable users to live independently for longer. In future years, there is an expectation that the adoption of technology in the Elderly Care sector will become mainstream, particularly as current adopters of modern technology and devices moving into the 65 year old and older demographic.