Age

The individual’s age can impact on the likelihood of their needs changing over time. For example:

• The age at which an individual first develops or experiences their condition may impact their ability to adapt to that condition.
• The age at which an individual undergoes treatment, such as surgery. The likelihood of a full recovery depends, amongst other factors, on the person’s age.
• Older adults, even if in good health prior to an acute illness and/or event can have less resilience to fully recover from, or adjust well to, new conditions or disabilities. This may be due to frailty, which is a loss of resilience resulting in individuals not promptly recovering, after experiencing a physical or mental illness, an accident or any other stressful event. Not every individual who has frailty will have a formal diagnosis of this condition. You should bear in mind that a formal diagnosis is not needed for an individual’s care needs to be relevant.

This list is not exhaustive.

It is impossible to be prescriptive about the effects of age in all cases. You should be cautious about assuming that an older individual is likely to have longer term needs than a younger individual. You should always take a holistic approach when making decisions.

If you are unsure about whether the individual’s age is more likely to give rise to longer-term needs related to their condition or disability, you should request a case discussion with a Health & Social Care practitioner.

You should also consider the individual’s age when determining whether it would be appropriate to set a review date. For example, if you have established that both

• the individual’s needs are unlikely to change
• a long review period would mean that the individual will have reached an advanced age by their next scheduled review

you should consider whether an indefinite award might be more appropriate. There is no set age after which setting a future review date would not be appropriate. Rather, you should take a person-centred approach.