Auckland researchers join focus on healthy ageing

Auckland researchers join focus on healthy ageing

Researchers from the University of Auckland are among many from throughout New Zealand taking part in the National Science Challenge to promote healthy ageing.

The National Science Challenges, initiated through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, are designed to tackle New Zealand's biggest science-based issues and challenges.

The University of Otago-led challenge will be partnered by the University of Auckland and other New Zealand universities, as well as Ag-research and the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment (CRESA) in Wellington.

The University of Auckland’s involvement in the challenge is led by Professors Martin Connolly and Ngaire Kerse. Professor Connolly has led decades of geriatrics research with a focus on residential care quality, healthy ageing and avoidable hospital admissions for older people. He is the Head of the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Assistant Dean for the University of Auckland’s Waitemata Clinical Campus.

Professor Kerse is recognised as an international expert in the interrelated areas of maximising health for older people, research into falls in older people, and the potential impact of physical activity to prevent the development of disability. She is also Head of the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health.

Initial funding for the Ageing Well challenge will be for $14.6 million for the first five years with a second tranche of funding for the following five years.

The Challenge will support high-quality, mission-led, interdisciplinary research focussed on five key strands:

Enabling independence and autonomy/tino rangatiratanga of older individuals and their whānau and families

Ensuring a meaningful life through social integration and engagement
Recognising at a societal level the value of ongoing contributions of knowledge and experience of older people
Reducing disability, and
Developing age-friendly environments.
The challenge will be led by Professor David Baxter, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago, and will be based out of the School's Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research.

Professor Baxter says people are living longer now, with life expectancy in New Zealand having gone up by around 20 years since 1901, pushing life expectancy for men into the late 70s and women to the low 80s.

"In addition, the share of the total population that is at older ages is increasing. This 'structural ageing' is mainly due to declining birth rates and in less than a decade people aged 65 and over will exceed the number of children under 15 years of age for the first time in history."

While Māori and Pacific peoples are still a youthful population in structural terms, the gap to non-Māori in terms of life expectancy is closing, lifting the proportion of older people across the board.

Professor Baxter says this means that issues related to the health and wellbeing of older people will become more prominent in the lives of families and communities.

"Over coming decades, the number of people with degenerative conditions such as dementia, arthritis, cerebrovascular disease and frailty will increase significantly,” he says. “Growing numbers of older people experiencing social isolation, reduced economic participation, and increasing vulnerability to poverty and sub-optimal living conditions will pose additional challenges."

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