Publications

The Gateway to Global Aging Data is a platform for population survey data on aging around the world.  This site offers a digital library of survey questions, a search engine for finding comparable questions across surveys, and identically defined variables for cross-country analysis. Learn more here.

‘Will Grandad Remember Me’ is a dementia educational and awareness programme developed by the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre (DSIDC).  The aim of the programme is to increase awareness among secondary school students about ageing and dementia and to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Alzheimer's disease and of the risk factors for dementia, especially lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, and obesity. Read more here.

Family carers having homicidal thoughts about their loved one with dementia is a “real and significant phenomenon” according to researchers at Griffith University’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland, which reaffirms the profound pressures facing carers. Seven themes were identified in the study – active thoughts of homicide; understanding homicidal thoughts in others; passive thoughts of death; euthanasia; homicidal thoughts in other caregiving situations; abuse; and disclosing thoughts of harm.

In 2014, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out 758 inspections of 549 nursing homes, 58% of which were unannounced and 42% announced. Inspections assessed compliance with the relevant regulations and National Standards and made judgments regarding each provider’s ongoing fitness to operate a centre.

The Department of Health (ROI) Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme was published on Monday 20 July 2015.  The Review was carried out by the Department in collaboration with the Health Service Executive with input from Deloitte and Touche as external consultants.

Specific recommendations are to:

The ROI's Central Statistics Office (CSO) latest life tables show a 1.5 year life expectancy increase for men and 1.1 year increase for women between 2006 and 2011. Life expectancy at birth has increased significantly for both men and women since the first official life table was compiled in 1926. Over the 85 year period to 2011, male life expectancy increased by 20.9 years (36.4%), while female life expectancy increased by 24.8 years (42.8%).  See the tables here.

CARDI's  e-bulletin provides up-to-date information on ageing research including seminars, funding opportunities, latest research and innovation.

Read CARDI Ebulletin: June 2015 here.

CARDI recently published a guide for the community and voluntary sector about getting involved in ageing research. The guide produced by Dr Brendan Murtagh, Queen's University Belfast and commissioned by CARDI builds on previous research on user involvement in ageing research (2014). The publication provides useful information on key issues relating to participating or carrying out research projects for age sector organisations.

Recent research in social tourism notes possible links between tourism participation and improvements in health. However, there is a lack of quantitative evidence concerning the potential links between tourism participation and self-reported health amongst older people. An ageing society requires measures to promote independent living and enhance older people's quality of life. This paper provides evidence that older tourists are more active and healthy than non-tourists, from a study comparing health perceptions amongst Spanish older people.

Britain’s public transport system is failing older people, according to a new study. A third of British pensioners never use public transport despite being eligible for a free bus pass, and half use it less than once a month. The most common complaint from those aged 65 and over was that public transport is “not convenient and does not go where you want”, the report (pdf) by the International Longevity Centre thinktank and charity Age UK found.