PROFILE: Ageing and Newcastle University

It can be considered one of the greatest success stories of modern times – the increased longevity that decades of health and social policy have provided. However, with such success come different challenges, as Professor Tom Kirkwood, associate dean for Ageing and director of the Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age, at Newcastle University outlines.

For much of the past 200 years, average longevity in the developed world has been extending at the astonishing rate of five hours for every day. For much of that time change has been driven by the prevention of premature death through improved safety, sanitation, housing and treatment of infection. More recently however, it has been achieved predominantly through delaying death amongst older people. What was once a clear and unambiguous benefit to society, we now regard with less certainty focusing, instead of the opportunities, on concerns about the cost of prolonged retirement and extended periods of dependency. The proportion of older people in our population is growing rapidly, particularly those over 85, and this is changing the shape and the needs of our society. We will need to think differently to realise the benefits and overcome the challenges of our success.

“If we don’t take action quickly enough, in the right kind of way, then what is unquestionably humanity’s greatest success – doubling life expectancy in the last 200 years – could become a real problem.”

Professor Tom Kirkwood, Associate Dean for Ageing and Director of the Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age, Newcastle University

Newcastle University began its research into ageing with pioneering work on dementia in the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the first universities to recognise the importance of studying ageing and established the Institute for Ageing and Health in 1994, to foster multidisciplinary research not easily achieved within the normal structures of the University. Moving from strength to strength, the institute is now home to over 70 academics and researchers plus large numbers of research students and is at the centre of a much larger network of research across all of Newcastle University’s three faculties and its campus for Ageing and Vitality, the largest and most comprehensive programme of research into ageing in Europe. The strength of Newcastle’s work in this field was recognised by the award in 2009 of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age

This broad ranging programme of research and engagement is now brought together under the University’s Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age in six themes:

•             Mechanisms of Ageing;

•             Ageing and Chronic Disease;

•             Through-life health and wellbeing;

•             Ageing, technology and the built environment;

•             Ageing, arts and culture; and

•             Ageing, policy and business.

 

“It would be difficult to find anywhere in this country where there would be the same professional buzz, skills mix and facilities to do this as there now is in Newcastle.” Professor Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University.

For more information about the Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age and our science see:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/changingage

8 page booklet from Pan European Networks: Government6 May 2013