Treatment of older people in emergency departments.

The UK has an ageing population, which means that more and more older people with complex social and healthcare problems will present to emergency departments (EDs). This article explains why ED staff must have appropriate training and education in all aspects of caring for frail older people, including the use of appropriate and specific assessment tools. The authors also refer to a soon-to-be-published guideline for the care of frail older people with emergency care needs.