Description du projet
Des stratégies pour améliorer la qualité de vie des personnes âgées
La proportion de personnes âgées (plus de 60 ans) dans la population devrait passer de 12 à 22 % d’ici 2050. Les personnes âgées sont confrontées à de nombreux défis émotionnels et physiques qui affectent leur état de santé mentale. Plus de 20 % des personnes âgées sont touchées par une forme de trouble mental, responsable de 6,6 % de tous les handicaps chez les personnes âgées. Le projet RISE-WELL, financé par l’UE, propose une nouvelle méthode pour résoudre ce problème. Il dissociera l’interaction complexe entre des conditions médicales concrètes, le stress mental provoqué par le processus de vieillissement et l’environnement social. Grâce à des méthodes scientifiques et technologiques avancées, il introduira des stratégies de soins pour améliorer la qualité de vie et créer une infrastructure à long terme destinée aux soins des personnes âgées.
Objectif
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.
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)Coordinateur
NE1 7RU Newcastle Upon Tyne
Royaume-Uni