THE number of older people in Basingstoke and Deane is set to rocket – and hospital chiefs are bracing themselves for the health-related challenges of dealing with the elderly care timebomb.

The number of people over the age of 85 in the borough is set to soar by more than 155 per cent within 20 years – one of the biggest rises anywhere in England.

A committee of Peers, who revealed the statistics, has warned Government ministers that they need to act now to prevent a crisis in all parts of the country.

Donna Green, deputy chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told The Gazette: “We are definitely seeing a rise in the number of older people being admitted to hospital, and an increase in the number of patients with dementia.

“It is not just elderly care wards which are affected. Caring for people with dementia can often be hard for our staff, and we have had incidents of patients lashing out. Of course, they don’t know what they are doing, but it can be very difficult for our staff.”

She said: “We want to protect our patients. The system in the elderly care wards means that patients are safer and that other people can still get in and out.”

The trust is soon to invest £1million in refurbishment of wards across its three hospitals – Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover – and Mrs Green said this would be linked in to meeting the needs of an increasing elderly population.

She said: “We know the number of elderly people is rising and we need to be prepared for that.”

The hospital is also soon to invest in a Rempod – a reminiscence pod used for people with dementia.

The pod is designed to take users on a trip back in time, using a virtual screen to set the scene of a different decade, such as a sitting room or bar, and including furnishings from that period.

Mrs Green said: “Often with dementia, memories of things which happened long ago will be much stronger than more recent memories.”

She said the hospital is also working with WRVS, nurses from Southern Health, and the Alzheimer’s Society to look at ways of helping, and dealing with, elderly people.

She added: “We need to look at how we can support and train our staff, particularly when dealing with issues surrounding the elderly.”