‌The healthy ageing programme includes research on physical, mental and social wellbeing, healthy work and retirement, and effective health and ‌social care.  In the programme we will develop, evaluate and translate public health interventions to maintain and improve health, and reduce health inequalities in later life.

Average life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last three decades.  Present challenges include extending healthy life expectancy and reducing the social, economic and health burden which comes with people living longer.  Achieving a good quality of life in later years requires primary prevention, to protect healthy people from developing a disease, and secondary prevention, to halt or slow the progress of disease (if possible) in its earliest stages.  We focus on both health related behaviours and social interventions to promote wellbeing, in particular among socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

The research involves collaborations with the Institute for Ageing at Newcastle University, NIHR School for Public Health Research and other national and international collaborators. There are strong links with other Fuse programmes, in particular those focused on behaviour change and inequalities.

The programme objectives are to:

• Promote healthy ageing in retirement, including interventions to promote exercise, healthy diet, safe drinking, and socialising.
• Investigate the implications of people working longer and develop, evaluate and translate appropriate workplace interventions to maintain and improve health.
• Evaluate the role of social and welfare interventions in later life for disadvantaged groups.
• Evaluate the roles of formal and informal care in promoting health among older adults and develop interventions to maximise health gain and minimise health inequalities.

Contact

Dr Sheena Ramsay - Programme co-lead, Newcastle University
Email: sheena.ramsay@ncl.ac.uk

Dr Gemma Wilson - Programme co-lead, Northumbria University (maternity cover for Dr Sonia Dalkin)
Email: gemma.wilson@northumbria.ac.uk