The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has contributed to the new ‘A Strategy for Collaborative Ageing Research in the UK’ which identifies areas where experts can work together across disciplines and sectors to tackle the main health and wellbeing challenges that face our ageing society.
Today, one in six people in the UK are over 65 years old, and by 2033 it is projected that a quarter of the population will be. Ageing is inevitable, but it is not uniform. It is influenced by a variety of factors including genetics and socio-economic circumstances and average life expectancy varies by as much as 14 years across the UK.
This strategy has been developed as part of the Life Long Health and Wellbeing (LLHW) Programme, a research council and Health Department funding partnership. It advocates collaboration between experts from all disciplines as a means to solve the challenges an ageing population represents.
The AHRC is a partner in the LLHW programme as the arts and humanities research community can make a significant contribution towards the understanding and enrichment of older people’s lives as part of this programme. The LLHW programme also gives arts and humanities researchers the opportunity to work with other disciplines to produce multidisciplinary research.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, outgoing Chief Executive of the MRC highlights how relevant the ageing strategy recommendations are to us all:
‘‘Along with energy and climate change, ageing is one of the major global challenges for the 21st century. Life expectancy in the UK has increased by around 30 years over the past century and this dramatic rise is not limited to the developed world, developing countries are also now experiencing a demographic shift to an increasingly older population.’’
Researchers need to find ways to help people live healthier, more independent lives as they age, not just to improve individual quality of life, but to ease the economic strain of an increasingly older population.
The strategy advises that a concerted approach from biologists, clinicians, social scientists, engineers, economists, policy makers and service providers is required to tackle the toughest ageing challenges, for example dementia and frailty. It suggests that experts also need to work together to understand the health and social impacts of working for longer as retirement age increases.
A Strategy for Collaborative Ageing Research in the UK has been developed in consultation with the research councils and the four health departments in the UK, in recognition of the concern that key challenges in ageing – reducing ill health, maintaining independence and providing cost effective care – cannot be solved in isolation.
The strategy is part of the cross-research council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing programme (LLHW). The programme has funded £16m of multi-disciplinary research since it launched in 2008 and a further £12.5m is scheduled to be awarded in the coming months. Funding is contributed by five research councils and four UK health departments. The Medical Research Council manages the LLHW programme on behalf of the partners.
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Note to editors
Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, AHRC Communications Manager; T: 0797 099 4586,
E: j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk
1. A Strategy for Collaborative Ageing Research can be downloaded from the MRC website, see: www.mrc.ac.uk/LLHW/ageingstrategy
2. The Lifelong Health and Wellbeing (LLHW) initiative is a funding collaboration between the UK’s research councils and Health Departments. LLHW funds multidisciplinary research to find out more about what influences health and ageing throughout life. The Medical Research Council manages the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative on behalf of the funders. For more information see www.mrc.ac.uk/LLHW
3. LLHW is funded by:
• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Chief Scientist Office, Scotland
• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), England
• Health and Social Care Research and Development Division, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland
• National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR) Wales.
4. Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC): Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.