Descripción del proyecto
Estrategias para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas mayores
Se espera que la proporción de personas mayores (de más de sesenta años) respecto al total de la población pase del 12 al 22 % de aquí a 2050. Las personas mayores se enfrentan a retos emocionales y físicos que afectan a su estado de salud mental. Más del 20 % de estas personas sufre algún tipo de trastorno mental, los cuales son responsables del 6,6 % de las discapacidades en personas de edad avanzada. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos RISE-WELL propone un nuevo método para hacer frente a este problema. Disociará la compleja interacción entre las afecciones médicas concretas, el estrés mental provocado por el proceso de envejecimiento y el entorno social. A través de métodos científicos y tecnológicos avanzados, introducirá estrategias de cuidados para mejorar la calidad de vida y crear una infraestructura a largo plazo para la atención durante el envejecimiento.
Objetivo
Mental health and emotional well-being during old age (60+) should be regarded as important as at any other time of a persons’ life. Older people are more likely to experience events that affect emotional well-being, such as bereavement or disability.
Unfortunately, mental health problems are under identified in older people, whom themselves are also less likely to seek help as compared to other people in the population. It is estimated that over the next 30 years, the proportion of elderly people (aged 60 or above) is estimated to increase from 12% to 22%. This would mean that there is expected to be 2 billion people of 60+ by 2050 in absolute terms. Older people are confronted with a variety of physical and mental health challenges and unfortunately these are not always, if indeed at all, thoroughly addressed. If we only focus on the mental health issues, then more than 20% of adults aged 60+ suffer from a mental disorder and 6.6% of all disabilities that occur is attributed to those same disorders. The disability caused by mental disorders account for 17.4% of a persons' living years.
The assessment of our elderly population, with respect to mental health, therefore requires an understanding of the full spectrum of the mental health continuum, and not to categorise everything into a ‘neurological disease’ or ‘dementia’ category. In particular, we would need to dissect the complex interaction between specific medical conditions, mental stress as part of the ageing process and social circumstances.
To be able to offer effective support to tacking this issue, our project aims to carry out three important objectives: a) to implement novel scientific and technological innovations, including strengthening of information systems, b) to initiate care strategies for the short-term, including lifestyle interventions and promotions, to improving the quality of life of older people and c) to build a sustainable long-term infrastructure for elderly care.
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MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)Coordinador
NE1 7RU Newcastle Upon Tyne
Reino Unido