THE SHAPES WE’RE IN
‘It’s not how old you are but how you are old.’ Jules Renard. With the UK’s increasingly ageing population, Renard’s words have never been more appropriate. PIF takes a closer look…
n 50 years’ time, there will be twice as many Europeans aged over 65 than there are today and almost three times as many people aged over 80 years: a triumph indeed for medicine.
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Yet, as life expectancy increases, so too does the likelihood of age-related problems, such as reduced mobility, social isolation and multi- morbidity. If 20 per cent of a person’s life is classified as ‘unhealthy’, huge improvements are needed to address these issues and support people to live healthier and more active lives as they age.
Shifting the delivery of care from hospitals to the home and community may help alleviate pressures faced by the health service, but, for this approach to be effective, individuals also need to feel supported and empowered to take responsibility for their own health.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed forward the agenda on digital health services, not only in Northern Ireland but globally. Digital solutions have rapidly come to the forefront in the provision of care both locally and across the world to support infection control policies and minimise transmission of COVID-19. Technology has, in effect, permitted services to keep running and support patients remotely.
Northern Ireland is a four-star reference site for medicines management in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA), an initiative that was established in 2011 with the aim of promoting active and healthy ageing in Europe.
The Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC), which is hosted by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and is based in the grounds of Antrim Area Hospital, is dedicated to driving innovation in active and healthy ageing and medicines use. Now MOIC is collaborating with researchers across Europe on a project that aims to shape the future of digitally enabled care.
The SHAPES (Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) Innovation Action is an EU Horizon 2020 co- funded programme, which is coordinated by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth and involves 36 partner organisations across Europe.
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