Uni’s experts get visit from UK minister
Pioneering dementia and ageing research shared
Experts in ageing, dementia and housing at the University of Stirling shared their pioneering research and ambitious plans with a UK Government minister.
Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord visited the campus on Friday.
In a tour of the world-renowned Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), Lord Offord of Garvel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, learned how the university’s research has facilitated important changes to approaches to ageing and dementia worldwide.
Lord Offord also heard details of a new intergenerational innovation centre in Clackmannanshire, which will enable and support transformative approaches to community resilience, wellbeing and economic regeneration in the region.
The state-of-the-art Intergenerational Living Innovation Hub has received £7.25million of UK Government funding under the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal.
Joining the visit was Councillor Ellen Forson, leader of Clackmannanshire Council and chair of the Clackmannanshire Commission, which awarded the funding to the project.
Councillor Forson and university representatives told Lord Offord that plans for the Hub are developing quickly, with more details expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Hub will bring together researchers, industry, healthcare providers and the third sector to develop innovative ways for an ageing population to live, work and socialise. Architects, designers, construction companies and technology providers will work in collaboration to help bring commercially and socially viable solutions to life.
Research has shown that dementia friendly design can sustain independence and encourage active ageing. One of the DSDC’S latest initiatives, the Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT), supports families and businesses to make homes, business premises and public places more accessible to an ageing population.
The Minister said: “The solutions pioneered here at the University of Stirling will make life easier for our ageing population, something that will be a great comfort to families.
“Funding projects like this is exactly what the City Region Deal is all about. Not only does it invest in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire area, encouraging employment and growth, it also brings further benefits on a wider scale – in this case, through research that could make improvements on a global scale.”
Judith Phillips, OBE, Deputy Principal (Research) and a Professor in Dementia and Ageing at the university, said: “Together with our partners in design, construction, industry and healthcare, our researchers will be making even more advances to address the global trend of an ageing population and all the demands that creates on our society.”
Councillor Forson said: “This investment is a huge milestone in the council’s mission to improve the quality of life for every person in Clackmannanshire. In just three years, Clackmannanshire is expected to experience the largest increase in population aged 75 and older of any Scottish local authority, whilst simultaneously seeing a significant drop in the number of people of working age. Naturally, this will create unique challenges in the near future, which the Intergenerational Living Innovation Hub is set to not only tackle head on but do so in an inclusive and sustainable way.”