Forthcoming BSG Scotland conference, Future Landscapes of Ageing, June 20th 2008

In June 2008 BSG Scotland will hold its next one day conference, the fourth since BSG Scotland was formed in 2002. The conference on Friday 20 June will be held at Glasgow Caledonian University, with the title Future Landscapes of Ageing. This conference aims to rethink how we talk about the futures of ageing and to consider the implications for policy and practice. The conference will examine future landscapes of ageing, drawing on the expertise of older people, academics and practitioners. To help us in rethinking the futures of ageing we shall invite a Scottish Minister with responsibilities for older people to address the conference. Keynote speakers will give presentations on the topics of the ageing population and policy implications (Professors Alison Bowes and David Bell, University of Stirling); the older person’s perspective (Betty McIntosh, Renfrewshire Seniors Forum); self care and ageing (Professor Sally Wyke, University of Stirling); new technologies (Professor Alan Newell, University of Dundee); healthy ageing (Dr Dawn Skelton, Glasgow Caledonian University); and globalisation and the future of old age (Professor Chris Phillipson, Keele University).The two-hour lunch time will include poster sessions at which authors will speak about their posters and a discussant will facilitate discussion around each theme.

Report on the BSG Scotland members’ event, November 2007

Our other type of event is for BSG members and guests whom we hope to recruit to BSG. This is a more informal half day members’ event. On 9 November 2007 the fifth BSG Scotland members’ event took place at University Campus Hamilton, in the Caird Building. The 16 participants came from a range of institutions: University of the West of Scotland (Hamilton Campus and Paisley Campus); Fife Council; Glasgow Caledonian University; Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh; Queen Margaret University; University of Paisley and University of Stirling. They included two postgraduate students. After an enjoyable and sociable lunch, the afternoon session was chaired by BSG Scotland organising group member Dr. Pauline Banks from University Campus Hamilton.

Liz Baikie, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh, spoke on: The influence of dementia on marital and sexual relationships in later life. Liz outlined the demographic background and pointed out that most people with dementia are cared for at home by a spouse. Her research questions were: What impact does dementia have on marital relationships? What factors influence attitudes towards marriage and caregiving? The methods included 75 in-depth semi-structured interviews with spouses living at home with a partner with dementia, and questionnaires for participants to complete. Liz found that dementia in a partner was associated with reductions in marital intimacy and in practical and emotional support from spouses. A high level of marital intimacy before dementia was associated with high current marital intimacy. Eleven per cent of participants were currently sexually active. Qualitative data showed attitudes towards marriage and marital obligations. For example: ‘At least I’ve still got him at 80’ (wife). ‘She gave me a lot of happiness. You don’t throw that away. It’s your duty and obligation’(husband). The research suggested the need for: interventions geared towards individual caregiver needs; evaluation of psycho-education in terms of relationships; and the development of marital and sexual therapies for people with dementia and their partners.

Julie Ferguson, Research Assistant, RBS Centre for the Older Person’s Agenda (COPA), Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, then gave her presentation on The HUB – making sure older people in Scotland have their say. COPA has three main strands: Education, Research and the HUB. Their mission is ‘to work in partnership with older people and professionals to undertake research and education in order to facilitate empowerment and participation, and to inform practice that makes a difference to the lives of older people.’ The HUB, for older activists in Scotland, is a recent development that began in April 2007. It now has 90 members, but the aim is 500 members. The HUB will be publicised widely throughout Scotland and a launch is planned for Spring 2008. The HUB will be involved in all areas of COPA activities, for example: participating in delivery of courses such as Education for Participation and the Senior Learners Programme and developing and promoting these courses; including older people in all aspects of research; and consulting on policy and practice documents. It is envisaged that the HUB will be Scotland-wide and the membership as diverse as possible. This stimulated a discussion among participants as to how to involve ‘non-activist’ older people. 

The third paper Awareness and understanding of the links between alcohol and dementia was presented by Louise McCabe, Lecturer in Dementia Studies, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling. It is clear there are links between alcohol misuse and dementia and these include direct toxic effects of alcohol on the brain; and nutritional deficiencies in the brain caused by alcohol problems. These conditions can be described as ‘alcohol related brain damage’ (ARBD). The project aimed to assess current awareness among publicans about alcohol related brain damage and whether this is a topic currently included in training and health promotion activities. Self-completion questionnaires were distributed to pubs and hotels in the Stirling and Falkirk areas. The overall response rate was low (6.6%), but higher for hand delivered questionnaires (17.5%). The project concluded that: knowledge among publicans about ARBD is anecdotal; it is not clear whether they consider ARBD to be long term or short term; and brain damage does not appear to be a problem they think about, although they have experience and some knowledge of it. Training and health promotion materials generally did not include information on ARBD. There was reluctance to talk about this topic. Publicans considered that alcohol problems of this kind are now more limited to people who drink in their own home. 

In the concluding session, participants responded, as at previous such events, that they were very satisfied with the format. The lunch and time for networking were appreciated. There was great interest in the speakers’ topics, all of which stimulated discussion. For further information about BSG Scotland, please visit the webpage:
http://www.britishgerontology.org/index.asp?PageID=18