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As of the 24 September 2015 The Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) became the Ageing Research and Development Division within the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH).
This website will remain online but will no longer be updated. To keep up to date with our work please visit the Division of Ageing Research and Development section of the IPH website.
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Research Projects
Researchers:
Student: Miss Siobhan Ryan, BSc.
Project: ‘Changes in macular pigment optical density, and serum concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin, in response to weight loss.’
Project Lead
Dr Carole Parsons, Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Queens University Belfast
Researchers:
School of Pharmacy
Queen's University Belfast
School of Pharmacy
Queen's University Belfast
Centre for Public Health
Queen's University Belfast
Geriatric Medicine
Cork University Hospital
School of Pharmacy
University College Cork
- Professor Carmel Hughes, Chair in Primary Care Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast
- Professor Peter Passmore, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Queen's University Belfast
- Dr Denis O'Mahony, University College Cork
- Dr Stephen Byrne, University College Cork
- Alzheimer's Society (NI) and the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland (ROI)
Despite the increase in the prevalence and incidence of dementia research into palliative care for patients with advanced dementia is limited. This novel study will seek to evaluate, in Ireland (North and South), the extent to which patient-related factors influence clinical decision-making in respect to medication use in patients with end-stage dementia.
Researchers:
Project: ‘Diet and risk for age-related macular degeneration.’
Project Lead
Dr Charlotte Neville
- Centre for Public Health, QUB
Mentor: Professor Jayne Woodside, QUB
For the CARDI Leadership Programme Dr Charlotte Neville will explore the impact of stress on the neurocognitive and cardiovascular health of older adults in the North and South of Ireland, using data from NICOLA and TILDA. The experience of severe or persistent psychological stress can alter immune mediators, trigger inflammatory processes and increase oxidative stress, damaging brain and cardiovascular health.
Project Lead
Dr Frank Doyle, Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Researchers:
- Professor Ronan Conroy, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, RCSI
- Dr Anne Hickey, Psychology, RCSI
- Dr Caroline Kelleher, Psychology, RCSI
Moderate to high levels of physical activity can reduce the odds of having depression by half or more. Pain has been shown to be associated with a greater risk of depression among older people and also a potential reason for not engaging in physical activity.
Dr Doyle will investigate the extent to which pain interacts with depression and physical activity in Ireland, north and south, which has potentially crucial clinical and policy implications for older people.
Project Lead
Dr Jayne Woodside, Senior Lecturer of Nutrition, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast
Researchers:
- Dr Bernadette McGuinness, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Geriatric Medicine and Dr Michelle McKinley, Lecturer in Nutrition and Professor Peter Passmore, Professor Geriatric Medicine, Queens University Belfast
- Professor Brian Lawlor, Professor of Psychiatry, and Dr Robert Coen, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Trinity College Dublin
- Mr Matthew Gibb, Senior Social Worker, Dementia Services Information and Development Centre, St James’s Hospital Dublin.
Cognitive decline has a profound impact on the health and quality of life of older people and care-givers. Randomised controlled trials could identify at which stage interventions are most effective but educational materials on behaviour change are needed first.
Objectives
To use focus groups of mild cognitive impairment patients and their care-givers and to hold structured interviews with professionals to design and test educational materials that can encourage change in diet and physical activity.
Researchers:
- Full title: Examination using functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging of alterations in working memory network in Mild Cognitively Impaired subjects
- Investigation of changes in brain activation due to normal ageing and due to Mild Cognitive Impairment in emotional modulation of long term memory.
Project Lead
Dr Eibhlin Hudson, Trinity College Dublin
Researchers:
TILDA
Trinity College Dublin
- Dr Irene Mosca, Economics, Trnity College Dublin
- Professor David Madden, Economics, University College Dublin
Health behaviours are significant barriers to healthy ageing but little is known about how they differ by socio-economic status.
This study examines inequalities in Ireland, north and south, in health behaviours and outputs, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index and physical activity. It also looks at changes over time.
Dr Hudson is developing a technique known as a concentration index – a single measure of inequality which can be decomposed to analyse factors underlying inequality.
Project Lead
Dr Matthew O’Connell, Trinity College Dublin
Researchers:
- Dr Bellinda King-Kallimanis, Statistics, Trinity College Dublin
- Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Geriatric Medicine, Trinity College Dublin
Disability in older adults is associated with reduced physical activity, loss of independence, reduced quality of life and increased health care costs. It is more prevalent in Northern Ireland than in the Republic of Ireland.
Key Findings:
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