"I don't feel "old aged""

dear erranddx69.

I do apologise for how this term makes you feel. It is a bit of a outdated generic medical term that is used to define the split between services for people over the age of 65.

generally speaking under 65 services are referred to as 'working age' and over 65' older age', which still has a reference to old in, albeit a bit more subtle.

I agree age is just a number and you are what you feel you are. I'm delighted that you feel that your age doesn't define you.

I will pass this feedback on the service for consideration.

thank you

Dear erranddx69

Thank you for letting us know how the reference to ”old age psychiatry” on your letter made you feel. As Paul Nicholson said in his response our services are currently defined as “working age adults” and “older adults services” ( over 65 unless it is a person with an early onset dementia) which also links with commissioning and funding for our services.

I agree this does not take into account that many people over 65 are still in employment and that age is a relative concept.

Our medical team are specialised in meeting the needs of people who are growing older and are more likely to have associated physical health conditions which can make prescribing of medications more complex.

The teams also support people with a diagnosis of dementia, the majority of which are over 65, which also requires specialist medical knowledge.

I will take this to our team meeting to make staff aware and discuss a review of our letters.

Rachel Allt

Senior Operational Manager

Older Adults CMHT;

Sheffield Memory Service;

Community Dementia Support Service