Project description
Strategies to improve quality of life among the elderly
The proportion of elderly (aged 60 +) in the population is expected to increase from 12 % to 22 % by 2050. Older people face many emotional and physical challenges that affect their mental health status. More than 20 % of elderly are affected by a form of mental disorder, which are responsible for 6.6 % of all disabilities in ageing persons. The EU-funded RISE-WELL project proposes a new method to address the problem. It will dissociate the complex interaction between concrete medical conditions, mental stress provoked by the ageing process, and the social environment. Via advanced scientific and technological methods, it will introduce care strategies to improve quality of life and create a long-term infrastructure for ageing care.
Objective
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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Coordinator
NE1 7RU Newcastle Upon Tyne
United Kingdom