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Ageing and Assisted Living

Ageing and Assisted Living. Working in partnership to improve lives 17 September 2013. Welcome and introduction. Professor Graham Underwood Executive Dean, Faculty of Science and Health. Why Ageing and Assisted Living?.

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Ageing and Assisted Living

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  1. Ageing and Assisted Living • Working in partnership to improve lives • 17 September 2013

  2. Welcome and introduction Professor Graham Underwood Executive Dean, Faculty of Science and Health

  3. Why Ageing and Assisted Living? • The UK population is ageing: 10 million people over 65 years old, rising to 15.5 million in 20 years • An increase in numbers suffering from chronic conditions • Increased pressure on health and social care services • Assistive technology will play an increasing role in providing care to ageing and disabled populations

  4. University of Essex – excellence in research, committed to Ageing and Assisted living • We are a ‘top 10’ research University (RAE 2008) • Professor Gill Green is Director of £5M NIHR Research Design Service (EoE) • Ageing and Assisted Living - a key theme for our 50thanniversary • Over 50 staff involved in A&AL-related research • £Ms of state-of the-art facilities

  5. Working in partnership • We work closely with the NHS, social care, charities, service users, Government and industry • Our research funders include:

  6. Our focus: assisted living not assistive technologies • Samantha Head and Faith Gage, physiotherapists at Colchester General Hospital, are working with academics from Essex. • Their research is to investigate whether addition of a Pilates class to standard physiotherapy care can improve outcomes for women with urinary incontinence. We co-create research from low tech ideas.....

  7. … to high tech solutions • Professor Ray Meddis and researchers in our Department of Psychology have developed the BioAid hearing app • The mobile app turns an iPhone into a hearing aid • It is the most downloaded medical app in some countries, with over 17,000 downloads in the first three months • www.bioaid.org.uk

  8. Working in partnership to improve lives • ‘The first test will be to listen for the singing of spring birds. • I have not heard them for many years and really miss these sounds... • WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT IN HEARING! The sound of birds singing in the morning is wonderful to hear again.’ Bruce, USA • ‘BioAid enabled me to ... thoroughly enjoy Easter lunch with my family and hear every conversation and domestic sound for the first time in 30 or more years, absolute bliss!’ Anon user, UK

  9. Today’s event • Share with you some existing research - and new ideas we’re working on • Listen to your issues and insights • Learn from our keynote speakers • Develop existing partnerships and create new ones – new research projects, attract funding, student volunteers and student placements

  10. Ageing and Assisted Living at the University of Essex Professor Gill Green Academic Lead, Ageing and Assisted Living Network, Director of NIHR Research Design Service (EoE) www.essex.ac.uk/aal

  11. Ageing and Assisted Living Research in the Faculty of Science and Health • A wide range of relevant research and expertise across the Faculty • Research supported by state-of-the-art facilities – from the Human Performance Unit to our Brain Research Centre • Created network to develop ongoing and new cross-disciplinary collaborations • Ageing and Assisted Living a key research theme for Essex’s 50th anniversary

  12. Faculty of Science and Health – Ageing and Assisted Living Theme • Age-related Disease: Cause, Cure, Care • Assisted Living • Lifelong Health and Healthy Ageing

  13. Age-related disease theme:Development of new inhibitors to neurodegenerative diseases • Jody Mason and Neil Kad (Biological Sciences) • Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain. • One of the hallmarks of the disease is the accumulation of amyloid proteins into plaques between nerve cells in the brain, which is thought to contribute to nerve cell damage. • Currently no drug therapies exist to control the formation of these amyloid plaques. • Researchers at our University aim to combat this problem by designing, screening and selecting peptide drugs that can slow down, or even prevent, this process from occurring. • This research could lead to a more effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.

  14. Assisted living theme:The intelligent wheelchair “Robochair” – multi-stakeholder group • Gill Green (HHS) and Huosheng Hu (CSEE) • The concept of an intelligent, highly versatile RoboChair has been developed by Professor Huosheng Hu and his Robotics Research Group. • RoboChairhas the potential to transform the lives of people with severe mobility problems. • Funding from the Colchester Catalyst Charity will support an initial ‘multi- stakeholder development group’ to help make sure the RoboChair prototype meets the requirements of end users as effectively as possible.

  15. Using the Nintendo Wii to improve balance and quality-of-life in recurrent elderly fallers • Matt Taylor and Murray Griffin (Biological Sciences), Teshk Shawis and Rebecca Impson (Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust) • Falls can lead to debilitating physical and psychological effects. • Our researchers have evaluated use of the Nintendo Wii as a potential adjunct to standard NHS falls training. • Initial findings suggested that improvements were greater when using the Wii compared to traditional training. • Researchers are now carrying out a small random control trial using pre- and post-intervention measures to evaluate the utility of the Wii as a rehabilitation tool.

  16. Pilot Projects • Our Faculty of Science and Health SeedcornFund is supporting four new collaborative Ageing and Assisted Living pilot projects: • Use of precision tinted lenses by migraine patients to assist in prevention of headache, photophobia and functional disability • Arnold Wilkins, Sheina Orbell (Psychology) and Jonathan Scales (Health and Human • Sciences • A preliminary exploration of the possibility of reducing tremors in Parkinson’s disease patients via entrainment and brain computer interfaces • Riccardo Poli, Francisco Sepulveda (CSEE), Debi Roberson (Psychology) • and Suffolk Working Age Parkinson’s Group (SWAP) • Emotional speech perception in healthy ageing individuals • Silke Paulmann, Riccardo Russo (Psychology) and Philip Hofmeister (Language and • Linguistics) • Developing a tool to evaluate interactive music sessions for people suffering from dementia • Murray Griffin (Biological Sciences), Louise Marsland (HHS) • and Trudy White (Live Music Now)

  17. Partners • The Ageing and Assisted Living Network has key partnerships with external organisations • We will continue to build new links and partnerships to increase the impact of our research. • We work closely with the University’s Research and Enterprise Office (REO) to encourage collaboration and involvement from industry, the NHS, voluntary groups and charities. • We have links with a range of user groups as their input at the earliest stage of the research cycle is key.

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