- launches Institute of Ageing

At a ceremony presided over by Sir David Weatherall, Chancellor of Keele University, the Institute of Ageing was launched on 26 January.

The Institute of Ageing brings together one of the largest groups of researchers working in the field of gerontology in the UK. There are already five Professors whose interest in ageing is expressed in their titles (Chris Phillipson, Mim Bernard, Judith Philips, Simon Biggs and Peter Crome). Keele University pioneered studies into the social aspects of ageing populations, and has built on this work with an expansion in research and teaching across a broad range of health, social and bio-medical topics.

The main research groupings within the Institute are drawn from the Centre for Social Gerontology, Geriatric Medicine, Nursing, the Centre for Health Planning and Management and Physiotherapy. Many have presented their work at BGS meetings. Research in the field of ageing contributed to the 5-star rating secured by the Social Policy unit of assessment in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

Research themes
The work of the Institute is built around three main research themes, namely:

• The social construction of ageing (e.g. family and intergenerational ties, social exclusion, and social influences on identity and behaviour).
• Rehabilitation and disability in later life (e.g. stroke, respiratory disease, falls and
  osteoarthritis) and the development of relevant outcome measures.
• Service management and development (e.g. evaluating service delivery and policy,
  intermediate care, the interface between health and social care.

Research Mission
The Institute is a cross-faculty group that combines clinical and non-clinical interests in ageing across the University. The aim of the Institute is to promote Keele as a leading international centre for the study of old age. A related concern is to stimulate multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects. Key objectives of the Institute include: encouragement of collaborative research; building research capacity within the University around work on social and health aspects of ageing; and working with health, social care and voluntary organisations across the West Midlands region as well as nationally.

Research Highlights
Members of the Institute have built an extensive track record of funding and collaboration with major national and international organisations, including Research Foundations, NGOs, Government Departments and major charitable foundations. Project funders include the Economic and Social Research Council, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Nuffield Foundation, the European Union, the Stroke Association, Action Medical Research, Research into Ageing, the Community Fund and the Novartis Foundation.

Publishing collaborations have been developed with Help the Aged and Age Concern and policy collaborations with government and voluntary bodies concerned with the care of older people. Strong international links have been formed, notably with research centres in Germany, Holland, Japan, Canada and the USA. Regular invited presentations at key international conferences, for example those organised by the International Association of Gerontology, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Canadian Association of Gerontology. Institute members hold leading positions in the Royal Society of Medicine, British Society of Gerontology and International Association of Gerontology.

Postgraduate Teaching
Members of the Institute run two highly successful modular Masters courses: the MA in Gerontology and the MSc in Geriatric Medicine. These courses attract both UK and overseas students including many of the Specialist Registrars on the West Midlands rotation.

Future Plans
This Institute is one of three linked to the development of the Medical School at Keele. Six new posts in ageing research are planned for the next few years. The first two posts, a clinical Chair in Disability and Rehabilitation and a non-clinical Readership in Health Services Research are due to the advertised later this year. The University has also just appointed Professor Maggie Pearson as Deputy Vice-Chancellor. She will also be joining the Institute.

Peter Crome
Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Keele University