To meet the needs of a burgeoning older population, the report states that medical staff will need to increase by between 1,802 and 3,236 whole time equivalents (WTEs) nationally. How are the combined challenges of funding the costs of an ageing population and recruiting and retaining healthcare staff going to be addressed? Focus on biological ageCould a focus on the biological age of this older population compared to actual chronological age be the missing link? Professor Rose Anne Kenny, head of the academic department of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, explains the separation of biological age from chronological age in her book Age Proof. Additionally, a focus on lowering biological age has the dual benefit of lowering costs to the national purse as well as improving health, wellbeing and resilience in an ageing population.

Source: Irish Examiner May 11, 2023 07:45 UTC