Researchers at the universities of Newcastle, York, and Manchester, with the Kings Fund, conducted a series of focus groups to reveal the experiences of a diverse group of women, and discuss what they would like to see in the Strategy.
Dr Gemma Spiers, a co-author based at Newcastle University, who led the focus groups for females aged 65 and over, said: “As part of this partnership, we spoke to females aged 65 years and above about their experiences of healthcare.
” Even though ladies live longer and experience more special needs than males in later life, older ladies told us that they feel crossed out and struggle to access the support they need. We hope the Womens Health Strategy is a favorable action towards resolving these crucial concerns.”
One 45-year-old lady told the scientists that: “Going to the physicians isnt a pleasurable experience since they do not listen. Thats the problem for me. I just do not go now.”
A 23-year-old lady commented that “contraception and durations, it gets rejected like its not a huge thing since everybody needs to do it … its as if youre being dramatic if there is an issue.”
Along with issues relating to womens physiology, women consistently raised the problem of psychological health and the trouble of finding information and support. Ladies reported a perception of insufficient services, treatments, follow-up and assistance for ladies who experienced psychological health issue.
One 36 year-old participant stated: “I believe mental health … just being a female in basic and having kids and working. Theres a lot, just basic stuff that we might be going through that we end up suffering in silence.”
The report noted that this feeling of suffering in silence mattered across the age varies, but especially for older ladies who typically had caring responsibilities.
This material was initially released here.