a) väestön ikääntymisestä johtuviin tarpeisiin vastaamiseksi on välttämätöntä edistää yhteistyötä yhteisössä erityisesti hyväksyttävänä olevan kansanterveyttä koskevan toimintaohjelman avulla seuraaviin toimiin keskittyen: – väestön terveydentilaa ja riskitekijöitä koskeva tiedonvaihto, – hyvien toimintatapojen vaihto, – indikaattoreiden määrittely ja tarpeiden analysointi, – laadullisten ja määrällisten standardien määrittely terveydenhuoltopalvelujen valvomiseksi, – terveydenhuoltopalvelujen kehittämistä koskevien strategioiden ja järjestelmällisten tarveanalyysien laatiminen kansallisella ja paikallisella tasolla toteutettavien terveydenhuolto-ohjelmien suunnittelemiseksi, täytäntöönpanemiseksi ja arvioimiseksi, b) sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoa varten on perustettava tietopankki, joka sisältää Euroopan ja kansallisen tason tilastollisia analyyseja ja esityksiä, joiden avulla palveluita suunniteltaessa ja perustettaessa saadaan käsitys alalla vallitsevasta tilanteesta, c) komission pitäisi laatia jäsenvaltioiden hyvien käytäntöjen pohjalta terveyden- ja vanhustenhuollolle entistä enemmän erityisiä tieteellisiä suuntaviivoja ja esittää niitä neuvostolle asiaa koskevan neuvoston suosituksen hyväksymiseksi, d) komissiota kehotetaan suorittamaan potilaiden liikkuvuutta koskeva yleinen arviointi ja esittämään selvitys raja-alueilla tähän mennessä saaduista kokemuksista, e) on tarpeen järjestää kansallisella ja yhteisön tasolla terveydenhuollon ammattilaisille suunnattuja koulutus- ja tiedotuskampanjoita sekä ennaltaehkäisyä ja terveyden edistämistä koskevia kampanjoita esimerkiksi ikään liittyvästä makulan degeneraatiosta, ja ottaa huomioon, että vanhusten tuleva terveys edellyttää elinikäistä lähestymistapaa ja joilla nuoria koulutetaan ymmärtämään millaisia seurauksia he aiheuttavat toiminnallaan myöhemmälle elämälleen, f) vanhuksille on taattava terveydenhuoltopalvelujen saanti, ei ainoastaan pitkäaikais- tai sairaalahoidon tai nimenomaan lääkärihoidon ollessa kyseessä, vaan myös silloin, kun kyse on ennaltaehkäisevästä hoidosta, fysioterapiasta, kuntoutuksesta tai muunlaisista hoidoista, joilla pyritään säilyttämään mahdollisimman pitkään vanhuksen riippumattomuus, ehkäisemään tai viivyttämään sairauden puhkeamista ja on tuettava hoitoja, joilla pyritään vammaisten henkilöiden elämänlaadun parantamiseen, g) erityistä huomiota on kiinnitettävä moninaisten riskitekijöiden tutkimiseen, kun kyse on sellaisiin sosiaalisiin tai taloudellisiin olosuhteisiin liittyvistä seikoista, kuten fyysinen ja maantieteellinen ympäristö ja erityisesti saasteet, tupakoiminen, koulutustaso, ammatti, tulot, sosiaaliapu, kulttuuri, sukupuoli, ravinto jne., h) vaikka terveydenhuoltopalveluja ei voidakaan siirtää perheiden, kansalaisjärjestöjen tai paikallisyhteisöjen vastuulle, on syytä määritellä toimet, joiden avulla pyritään edistämään, helpottamaan ja tukemaan näiden tahojen harjoittamaa terveydenhuoltotoimintaa: – hoitohenkilökunnan kouluttaminen ja heille kohdistettu tiedottaminen, – erityisten vanhuksille suunnattujen palvelujen luominen paikallisella ja yhteisön tasolla, – kansalaisjärjestöjen ja itse käyttäjien osallistuminen terveydenhuoltopalvelujen suunnitteluun ja parantamiseen, – vanhusten sosiaalista syrjäytymistä ehkäisevän kulttuuritoiminnan ja sosiaalisen toiminnan kehittäminen, – psykologinen, taloudellinen, juridinen ja sosiaalinen tuki vanhuksista huolehtiville perheille tai henkilöille,
(a) Community cooperation should be stepped up in the sphere of improving health services in order to tackle the ageing of the population, not least by means of the contribution which may be made by the action plan for public health now being adopted, covering: - the exchange of information on the population’s state of health and risk factors, - the exchange of good practice, - the establishment of indicators and an analysis of needs, - the drawing up of common qualitative and quantitative standards to monitor the health services, - the drawing up of strategies for developing health services and for the systematic analysis of needs with a view to the planning, execution and assessment of health programmes carried out at national and local level; (b) a data bank should be established covering the social and health care sector, and containing statistical analyses and projections, both at European and national level, to enable anyone involved in planning and setting up services to understand the situation in the sector; (c) on the basis of proven practices used in the Member States, the Commission should, to a greater extent, draw up specific scientific guidelines for health care and care for the elderly and submit these to the Council with a view to adoption as a Council recommendation; (d) the Commission should carry out a general assessment of patient mobility and submit a study on experience in the border regions to date; (e) provisions should be made for organising, at national and Community level, training and information campaigns for operators and prevention and promotion campaigns in the field of health, such as on age-related macular degeneration, including recognising that the future health of older people requires a lifelong approach and educating young people as to the consequences of their actions in later life; (f) elderly people should be guaranteed access to health services not only as regards long-term care and hospitalisation, or strictly medical services, but also as regards preventive care, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and any other service designed to ensure their independence for as long as possible, in order to prevent and delay the onset of diseases and to support disabled people in a way which improves their quality of life; (g) particular attention should be devoted to studying multiple risk factors, in particular those linked to social or economic conditions, such as the physical and geographical environment, and in particular pollution, smoking, level of education, profession, income, social support, culture, gender, nutrition, etc.; (h) whilst bearing in mind that the provision of health care services cannot be delegated to families, NGOs or local communities, it is necessary to identify measures designed to encourage, facilitate and support the care activities provided by such bodies or individuals, by means of: - training and informing the persons providing the care, - the creation of specialised services for elderly people at local and Community level, - the participation of NGOs and users themselves in the planning and improvement of health services, - the development of cultural and social activities to prevent the isolation of elderly people, - psychological, economic, legal and social support for families or individuals caring for an elderly person; (b) a data bank should be established covering the social and health care sector, and containing statistical analyses and projections, both at European and national level, to enable anyone involved in planning and setting up services to understand the situation in the sector; (c) on the basis of proven practices used in the Member States, the Commission should, to a greater extent, draw up specific scientific guidelines for health care and care for the elderly and submit these to the Council with a view to adoption as a Council recommendation; (d) the Commission should carry out a general assessment of patient mobility and submit a study on experience in the border regions to date; (e) provisions should be made for organising, at national and Community level, training and information campaigns for operators and prevention and promotion campaigns in the field of health, such as on age-related macular degeneration, including recognising that the future health of older people requires a lifelong approach and educating young people as to the consequences of their actions in later life; (f) elderly people should be guaranteed access to health services not only as regards long-term care and hospitalisation, or strictly medical services, but also as regards preventive care, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and any other service designed to ensure their independence for as long as possible, in order to prevent and delay the onset of diseases and to support disabled people in a way which improves their quality of life; (g) particular attention should be devoted to studying multiple risk factors, in particular those linked to social or economic conditions, such as the physical and geographical environment, and in particular pollution, smoking, level of education, profession, income, social support, culture, gender, nutrition, etc.; (h) whilst bearing in mind that the provision of health care services cannot be delegated to families, NGOs or local communities, it is necessary to identify measures designed to encourage, facilitate and support the care activities provided by such bodies or individuals, by means of: - training and informing the persons providing the care, - the creation of specialised services for elderly people at local and Community level, - the participation of NGOs and users themselves in the planning and improvement of health services, - the development of cultural and social activities to prevent the isolation of elderly people, - psychological, economic, legal and social support for families or individuals caring for an elderly person; (i) healthcare staff are of fundamental importance in ensuring the maintenance and development of efficient and functional health facilities , and a high standard of care and health, while the nursing shortage is a phenomenon experienced by all the Member States – albeit to varying degrees; (j) the European Union should fund campaigns to raise awareness of the care professions needed to develop services and maintain a high standard of care and health in the Member States; (k) the Commission should therefore propose a specific programme to fund training projects to enable people to gain access to and attend nursing courses and undergo specialised higher training in important areas (transplants, oncology and heart surgery, geriatrics, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, telemedicine, telecare and neuroscience); (l) particular attention should be given to ongoing training in geriatrics and gerontology for healthcare and social service professionals, to include not only doctors, but also nurses and, more generally, care workers; (m) possible responses to the problem of mental illness in the old, which affects women in particular, should be analysed, in particular as regards prevention, detection and early treatment, the establishment of protocols for diagnosis, pharmaceutical treatment and psychotherapy, the devising of programmes aimed at self-help and home care for people suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of senile dementia; (n) measures are needed aimed at delaying the onset of disabilities in elderly people and providing solutions to allow disabled elderly people to maintain their autonomy (accommodation, transport, etc.); to this end, "one-stop shops", where multidisciplinary teams could look at the needs of the older person in a holistic approach, taking on board all aspects of his/her life in a close consultation with the person can be very useful; (o) efforts should be made to devise solutions and instruments - including economic ones - aimed at assuring the safety, dignity and quality of life of people unable to live self-sufficiently with a view to ensuring that the burden does not fall solely on the families involved; (p) Community research aimed at ensuring the welfare and maintaining the health and autonomy of elderly people should be developed and maintained and educational approaches and information technology should be developed and improved so that prevention and education help achieve improved life expectations; (q) provision should be made for coordinating a vast range of services in a comprehensive framework covering disease prevention and health promotion, primary health services, intensive care, rehabilitation, long-term care and palliative care; (r) particular attention should be devoted to combating the maltreatment, physical, psychological, sexual and financial abuse and neglect of elderly people in their own homes, in residential care and in hospital, by family members, carers and health or social care professionals, both by means of awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public and those working in the health and social services, and by creating services specifically designed for victims of maltreatment and programmes to re-educate those guilty of such acts; welcomes the research being carried out into elder abuse and calls on the Commission to ask the European Agency for Living and Working Conditions to co-ordinate the sharing and dissemination of knowledge and policies in this area; believes there is an urgent need to establish a network of vetting systems in the respective Member States so that a person who moves to another Member State, and seeks a job with elderly people, can be subject to security checks with the Member State from which he or she has come; (s) particular attention should also be paid to the care needs of those in rural communities; (t) adequate account should be taken in all health-related measures of aspects specific to women; (u) the future of health care and care for the elderly should from now on form a permanent part of the Commission’s work programme;