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Since 2009, research has been undertaken into strategies, practice and provision for active-ageing, specifically examining the mental and physical health and well-being benefits of group activities on culturally diverse older people. The main impact of this research has been the establishment of twelve Movers and Shakers groups. This has benefited approximately 500 older people. There are plans to establish four more groups in Buckinghamshire, including a group for people with learning disabilities. Outside of the County, interest in adoption of the model has been expressed by Hillingdon Borough Council and by a housing group operating in Hertfordshire.
The Fiction and Cultural Mediation of Ageing Project (FCMAP), funded by Research Councils UK as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing programme undertook qualitative social research investigating the relationship between ageing, cultural representation and experiential narrative understanding. The project produced specific public policy recommendations in key areas including flexibility for older workers, pensions, targeting benefits, and diverse service provision to support active ageing. Outcomes were disseminated through a series of public events, the Demos policy report, Coming of Age, 2011, and subsequently at a policy `Roundtable', where they were welcomed by the Head of Pensions, Ageing Strategy and Analysis Division at the Department of Work and Pensions and several key stakeholders in the public and third sectors. The work has received substantial publicity and has helped set the agenda and decision making climate for policy makers working to support an ageing population. The Centre for Policy on Ageing endorsed FCMAP for the nomination of the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize in the category of Outstanding Impact in Public Policy.
This research addresses unprecedented demographic challenges caused by an ageing population through the development of socially inclusive products and services that enhance the quality of living of older consumers (aged 50 and over).
Welfare & inclusion
- The Brunel University research team, led by Dr Spinelli, has helped the evaluation and development of products and services that enable older people to live more independently — through enhanced mobility, assisted communication and an improved range of choice to suit individual needs.
Commercial Impacts
- The research has formed a knowledge base that the charity `Age UK' has exploited to 1) develop the AGE UK business network "Engage" (including Handicare, BSkyB, Atoc, British Telecom, Virgin and Homebase) which, through company engagement, seeks to improve products and services for older consumers and to enable the application of inclusive design processes to product and service development, marketing and training and 2) underpin the principles of AGE UK Products and Service Accreditation schemes launched in 2012 to enhance quality and choice for older consumers.
Research by the University of Southampton into ageing, intergenerational relations and the life course has influenced policy debate and practice at national and international levels, highlighting the importance of adapting social policy to take account of the changing shape of the life course. Empirical research evidencing the impact of earlier life course events on women's resources in later life informed the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Other research has informed the policy work of the European Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and national and local governments, potentially affecting the lives of millions of people.
Impact: UoE research into the determinants of cognitive change during ageing, including intelligence, has changed perceptions of the public and has informed policy debate.
Significance: Understanding age-related cognitive change is essential for informing policy and addressing challenges that arise from increasing numbers of older people in society.
Beneficiaries: UK government and policy-makers; specialist charities; the public; the arts.
Attribution: Research on the Lothian Birth Cohorts was led by Deary (UoE) since 1996.
Reach: UK and beyond; featured in regional and national policy documents, third sector literature, >300 international press articles, presented at science festivals and in an art exhibition and a play.
Helen Small's research into the meanings and value ascribed to old age has assisted policy consultation groups to frame their debates about the implications of an ageing society, enabling participants to reflect critically on, and move beyond, standard conventions limiting discussion of old age (such as dramatic statistical predictions from demography, or the emotional appeal of the carer's testimony). Her work has also refreshed the terms of debate about ageing within gerontology, and has set a new interdisciplinary agenda for university researchers seeking to engage with non-academics involved in the care and support of the elderly.