Older adults are defined as adults over the age of 65 years (WHO) and it is anticipated that this population will increase by 49% in the next twenty years with the over 85 age group expected to triple. Everyone ages differently, some people will develop long-term conditions and frailty but many will remain fit and active well into older age. The Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR) focuses on prevention (such as falls and pain management), early intervention (by modifying risk factors for dementia), using ‘digital’ to help people remain active and connected to family and community, and helping people – whatever their situation – live as well as possible (e.g. through delivery of personalised and integrated support).
Objectives
Our activities are focused on the following areas:
- To develop high quality interdisciplinary research with strong methodological and theoretical foundation which informs policy and practice.
- To develop international research with partnerships across the UK, Europe, the US and beyond working towards creating sustainable health and social care systems to support positive ageing into the next decades.
- To work alongside older adults to identify areas important to them or exploring issues identified by them.
- To provide strong evidence based education in the field of ageing across all programmes from undergraduate through to postgraduate.