Ageing and Assisted Living

Ageing and Assisted LivingWorking in partnership to improve lives

17 September 2013

Welcome and introductionProfessor Graham UnderwoodExecutive Dean, Faculty of Science and HealthWhy 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

University of Essex excellence in research, committed to Ageing and Assisted livingWe 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 50th anniversary

Over 50 staff involved in A&AL-related research

Ms of state-of the-art facilities

Working in partnershipWe work closely with the NHS, social care, charities, service users, Government and industry

Our research funders include:

Our focus: assisted living not assistive technologiesSamantha 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..... to high tech solutionsProfessor 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

Working in partnership to improve livesThe 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

Todays eventShare with you some existing research - and new ideas were 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

Ageing and Assisted Living at the University of EssexProfessor Gill GreenAcademic Lead, Ageing and Assisted Living Network, Director of NIHR Research Design Service (EoE)

www.essex.ac.uk/aalAgeing and Assisted Living Research in the Faculty of Science and HealthA 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 Essexs 50th anniversary

Following a review of the research profiles of academic staff in the Faculty of S&E and discussions with individual staff members, it is evident that there is a wide range of research and expertise of relevance to the theme of Ageing and Assisted Living across the Faculty, supported by state-of-the-art research facilities. Indeed, there are several relevant cross-disciplinary collaborations and research projects already ongoing across the Faculty. A half-day seminar and networking event which explored the relationship between researchers working within the area of Assisted Living and the end users of the technology was held on the 24th of April 2012

11Faculty of Science and Health Ageing and Assisted Living ThemeAge-related Disease: Cause, Cure, Care

Assisted Living

Lifelong Health and Healthy Ageing

The Ageing and Assisted Living Theme will have 3 focus areas which reflect research strengths within the Faculty. 1. Age is the single biggest risk factor for many life-threatening diseases, such as heart failure, cancer and dementia which can lead to chronic ill health and dependence. Researchers working within this focus area will examine the cause, cure and care of a range of age-related diseases and conditions2. The physical environment plays a central role in determining disabled and older peoples independence, mobility and wellbeing. Researchers within this focus area will aim to develop new tools and technologies that will enable the elderly, disabled and those with long-term conditions to live independent lives and support translation of assisted living technologies into care/home environments3. Health behaviours and lifestyle choices are major determinantsof life expectancy, health and wellbeing in old age. Researchers within this focus area will explore novel approaches and interventions to promote and sustain health and wellbeing across the life course into old age

12Age-related disease theme:Development of new inhibitors to neurodegenerative diseasesJody 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 Alzheimers disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinsons disease.

Assisted living theme:The intelligent wheelchair Robochair multi-stakeholder groupGill 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.

RoboChair has 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.

Using the Nintendo Wii to improve balance and quality-of-life in recurrent elderly fallersMatt 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.

Pilot ProjectsOur Faculty of Science and Health Seedcorn Fund 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 Parkinsons disease patients via entrainment and brain computer interfaces Riccardo Poli, Francisco Sepulveda (CSEE), Debi Roberson (Psychology) and Suffolk Working Age Parkinsons 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)

PartnersThe 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 Universitys 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.