Palliative care for older people: a public health perspective

Populations around the world are ageing rapidly; a growing number of people will live to older ages, will experience multiple and complex chronic conditions, and will need some form of care towards the end of their lives. The ageing of society is becoming a major public health issue, posing challenges to social and health care structures in many countries. This book demonstrates the added value of palliative care which, although traditionally focused on cancer and the very end of life, can play a role in strengthening and complementing the care of older people. The book outlines the current state of worldwide policy work, research, and innovations in the field of public health and palliative care for older people and concludes with recommendations for policy and decision makers, at international and national level, to support integrating palliative care widely into health care systems in order to improve access to and quality of palliative care for older people.