Priorities for innovation and care for an ageing population

Set in the context of the considerable human achievements of ageing and demographic transition in the 20th and 21st centuries, this lecture will consider issues of intergenerational equity and fairness and discuss the pervasive myths and stereotypes regarding the reciprocity of care and support between the generations.

How these issues interact with health and social care systems and requirements, particularly in relation to the development of multiple conditions and frailty in the older population, will be explored using international examples from cohort/longitudinal studies.

The priorities of older people themselves are critical for innovation in these areas and will be illustrated using examples from the work of the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnerships on multiple conditions and frailty. Examples of innovations in health and social care settings across the spectrum of community, primary and secondary care and some of the opportunities of innovation in this sector will be explored.

Emeritus Professor Stuart Parker trained in Geriatric Medicine in Newcastle in the 1980s and has held a range of academic and clinical leadership roles. From 2000 Stuart was Professor of Health Care for Older People, Clinical Director for Older People’s Medicine and Director of Research and Development. He led the Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing and was Associate Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). In 2013 Stuart returned to Newcastle as the William Leach Professor of Geriatric Medicine. He was the chief investigator for the Hospital Wide Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment project, which aimed to inform NHS managers, clinicians, patients and the public about how best to organise hospital services for frail older people. Most recently he was the clinical lead on a James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership on Multiple Conditions in Later Life (“multimorbidity”). Stuart retired from his University role in 2017 but maintained his clinical practice until last year. He is a chief investigator on the ARC Linkage project to develop a quality of life measure with older people lead by Professor Julie Ratcliffe at the Caring Futures Institute.

Sponsors: Caring Futures Institute