We are all getting older. And it’s important to think about our future and the ways in which our life experiences can be improved upon as we reach old age. We call this ‘healthy ageing’. ‘Healthy ageing’ is about creating the environments and opportunities that enable people to be and do what they value throughout their later lives.

We are CADR – the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research. Our aim is to ensure ‘healthy ageing’ for the older people of Wales and beyond, through research into ageing itself, and the policies and practices that can shape healthy ageing.

Our work is focused on four areas;

1.            Environments of ageing;

2.            Dementia and cognition in ageing;

3.            Social Inclusion for health and wellbeing; and

4.            Public and professional engagement.

This fourth area is essential to our work. We want to give voice to older people, to the many individuals who care for them, and to the organisations who support them. Their engagement and involvement in our research means that they can help play a part in solving the issues and challenges that come with ageing.

Knowledge from our research can help create age-friendly environments; it can play a vital role in disease prediction and effective health and social care interventions and systems; and it can result in improvements to the ways practitioners and clinicians work with the elderly and people living with dementia. It will provide opportunities to challenge negative stereotypes of older people and it will allow us to understand the services, products and experiences that contribute to healthy ageing.

We are all getting older. If you want to play a part in improving health and social care for the elderly; in creating supportive environments; and helping to reduce the impact of dementia, please get in touch. Just email us at cadr@swansea.ac.uk or visit http://www.cadr.cymru for more information on how you can be involved.