Academic Lead – Stuart Parker  (Sheffield)
The network utilises a multidisciplinary approach to supporting an ageing population with three inter-linked studentships on health and ageing, public services and older people, and health / health services for an ageing population.
Health and ageing: Prof. Robert West (Biostatistics, Leeds) and Prof. Stuart Parker (Health Care for Older People, Sheffield) who are experts in statistical modelling for applied health research and ageing respectively supervise a project which will use longitudinal data analysis to explore health and health transitions in old age.
Public services and older people: Prof. Gillian Parker (Director, Social Policy Research Unit, York) and Dr. Mary Godfrey (Reader in Health and Social Care, Leeds), who are experts in applied health and social research and ageing, supervise a project which will explore the impact of public and private service change on older people’s independence, and interactions with poor health, impairment and frailty.
Health and health services for an ageing population: Dr. Matt Stevenson (Reader, Health Economics and Decision Science, Sheffield) and Prof. Maria Goddard (Director, Centre of Health Economics, York) who have expertise in health economics and decision sciences supervise a project which will model population ageing and health care to develop a holistic framework to predict the effect of ageing on healthcare demand.
Advisory group: Prof. Graham Mulley, President of the British Geriatrics Society; Dr. Peter Bath (Reader in Health Informatics) with an expertise in ageing data analysis; Prof. Roy Sainsbury with expertise in economic activity in older age; Prof. Caroline Glendinning who is involved in a WUN bid on a ‘Global Social Initiative in Ageing’ led by the University of Alberta; Dr Praveen Thokala, Research Associate in Health Modelling, University of Sheffield, who has been instrumental in developing the network, will work closely with the Sheffield/York team.
Value & Strategic Relevance of the network:
Population ageing is creating new challenges and opportunities worldwide. Governments and NGOs are exercised in responding to the global challenge of successful population ageing and demographic transition. The WHO identifies the key challenges as:
• strains on pension and social security systems;
• increasing demand for health care;
• bigger need for trained health care workforces;
• increasing demand for long-term care
• pervasive ageism that denies older people the rights and opportunities available to other adults.
We address these key strategic issues by creating a highly experienced and appropriately multidisciplinary supervisory team and advisory group with expertise in health and social policy, health care and applied health and social research, statistical and health economic modelling to assure the success of the network.