Highfield invests for increase in age-related illnesses

Psychiatric careHighfield Hospital is to invest €10 million to double the number of its high-dependency care beds to 64 and add another 10 beds in its acute psychiatric care unit.

The development is a response to a growing demand for services for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and will see the number of beds provided by the Highfield Hospital group rise to 240.

Dr Denis Eustace, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of the group, said the health services must prepare for an increase in age-related illnesses as people live longer.

"The older you get the more likely you are to get Alzheimer's. You have a one in five chance when you are in your 80s. Because we are a greying nation it is to be expected that we are going to see an increase in the numbers developing Alzheimer's and related disorders."

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland estimates 35,000 people are affected by the disease or by dementia. As the average age of the Irish population rises, this figure is expected to rise to 46,000 cases by 2021.

However, new research suggests the rise in sufferers of Alzheimer's and dementia in Ireland over the coming years could be far higher than expected.

"The census statistics coming out now suggest that within 16 years we could be looking at over 700,000 people over 65 and that could lead to more than 60,000 people with Alzheimer's and related disorders. Far higher than current predictions," Dr Eustace said.

Of the 35,000 people currently diagnosed, more than 25,000 live in the community, an approach Dr Eustace supports. No one should go into a nursing home unnecessarily, he said.

About 7,000-8,000 people are cared for in nursing homes and another 500 people are in psychiatric hospitals. The remainder, an unquantified number, reside in general hospital beds.

The number of people placed in psychiatric hospitals is falling but is still a cause for disquiet. Some long-term patients had subsequently developed an age-related illness, but there were also patients misplaced there, Dr Eustace said.

"Only people with serious psychotic illness should be placed in a psychiatric hospital. And even then, they should only go in for short-term care."

Along with the ageing population, Dr Eustace said improved diagnosis and a higher media profile meant sufferers were being identified who would not have been in the past.

Dr Eustace said that personnel was the key requirement in this area of healthcare.

"It is very hard to get good, well-qualified staff. You can build a top-class facility but there is no point if you can't get the right staff."

He said the need for specialists was growing and the State had been slow to respond. "Some countries are up to speed, some, like Ireland, are not there yet."

There are 26 consultant psychiatrists of old age, the majority of whom work in public hospitals, according to Dr Eustace. He estimates that Ireland's population requires about 32.