Transcript ICDE Presentation

Healthy Ageing Research –
Developments and Lessons
By
Hal Kendig
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Sydney
National Symposium on Ageing Research
‘The Australian Research Agenda: Priorities and
Challenges?’
Canberra
24 September, 2003
Overview
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What is Ageing Research?
Healthy Ageing Policy Contexts
The Healthy Ageing Research Review
National Research Priorities
The PMSEIC Report
Issues and Directions
1. What is Ageing Research?
- Individual and Population Ageing are Fundamental
- Older People Focused – Their Views Represented
- Interconnectedness of Issues in Old Age
- Life Course, Generations, and Social Change
- Environmental as well as Individual Dimensions
- NOT just what happens ON older people
- Ageing Research Features:
- Connections to End Point Users of Knowledge
- Bio-psycho-social Approaches
- Multi-disciplinary Collaboration
Why Research?
Ideas, information & purposeful change
Balancing a biased base of knowledge
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What do older people want?
What can be improved?
What works to improve things?
Are we going forward?
Who misses out?
2. Policy Context
National Strategy for an Ageing Australia
An Older Australia, Challenges and Opportunities for all
The Hon Kevin Andrews, MP, Minister for Ageing, 2002
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Healthy Ageing involves:
Disease protection and optimal well-being
Mentally, physically, and socially active
Maximise capacities to participate & contribute
Government, business, communities & individuals
‘Research will underpin the National Strategy for an Ageing Australia and fine tune its implementation. We need
to understand and reassess what is happening as the population ages. A good evidence base will support the policy
and administrative decisions that will need to be made by a broad range of individuals and organisations.’ pxi
Healthy Ageing Programs
National Healthy Ageing Strategy
(Commonwealth, States, and Territories, 2000)
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Community attitudes to ageing and older people
Health and wellbeing for older Australians
Employment and community activities
Financial & other support… realistic and fair
Appropriate living environments & communities
Appropriate and affordable care and support
3. A review of healthy ageing
research in Australia
By
Hal Kendig, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney
Gary Andrews, Centre for Ageing Studies, Flinders University
Colette Browning, School of Public Health, La Trobe University
Susan Quine, Dept. of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Sydney
Amanda Parsons, Health and Ageing Research Program, University of Sydney
This report was prepared for the Community Services Ministers’ Advisory Council, 2000
Distributed by the Office for an Ageing Australia, Commonwealth Department of Health
and Ageing, Canberra
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The Healthy Ageing Review
Commonwealth Office for Older Australians (for Community Services
Ministers Advisory Council)
 Identify policy information needs for healthy ageing
 Review available research
 Consider present and future players
* researchers
* policy makers
* NGOS
 Recommend funding and other strategies
* for research
* application and dissemination
 Timing: March to June 2000 project
Publication 2002 August
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Methods
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Ongoing Commonwealth and Team briefings
Telephone interviews – policy, program,
advocacy groups
State consultations with key actors
Web questionnaire for researchers
Ageing research directories
Project workshops
Information Needs: Users Views
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Government Policy and Program Managers
Service Providers
Advocacy Groups
Older Populations and Carers
Private Sector
Wider Community
Barriers to Use of Research: Users
Imposition of political imperatives
 Lack of timeliness
 Academic publications unavailable
 Researchers misunderstand policy processes
 Policymakers do not understand research
 Inadequate analyses
 Poor presentations
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Research Providers and their Views
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Traditional Individual Approach
Research Networks
State Centres
Research Institutes
Barriers in policy applications:
Researchers
- Insufficient research funding
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Lack of trained researchers
Poor collaborative networks
Insufficient priority by funders
Lack of government commitment to planning
Limited application of research findings
Lack of recognition of the value of research
Key Recommendations
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Ageing Priority in the Australian Research Council
and National Health and Medical Research Council
A National Institute and Dedicated Research
Funding Program
A Network of State Centres
Longitudinal Studies
Commonwealth-State Action?
4. National Research Priorities
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Prime Minister’s December 2002 Announcement
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Purpose/Criteria
–Vision for research focusing on key challenges for Australia.
– Build on our strengths while seeking new opportunities in emerging areas.
– Strengthen collaboration between research bodies and with industry, and
– Build critical mass of excellence in those key research areas.
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Four Priority Areas
– Environmental Sustainability
– Promoting Health
– Frontier Technologies for Industries, and
– Safeguarding Australia
National Research Priority: Promoting
and Maintaining Good Health
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Promoting good health and preventing disease, particularly among young and
older Australians
Priority Goals
1. A healthy start to life
2. Ageing well, ageing productively
Developing new and better social and medical strategies to reduce mental
and physical degeneration based on greater knowledge and understanding
of the causes of disease and degeneration of mind and body.
3. Preventive healthcare
5. PMSEIC Promoting Healthy Ageing
in Australia
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Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering, and Innovations
Council (July 2003)
Vision: An additional 10 years of healthy and
productive life expectancy by 2050.
Enhancing Research to Promote Healthy Ageing
- A National Network for Healthy Ageing Research
- Longitudinal Studies of Healthy and Productive
Ageing
6. Issues & Directions
Priority for useful knowledge
Balance of fundamental, priority-driven, and
development and evaluation (who decides?)
 Involve end point users in forming and doing
research as well as using it
 Dissemination and application are essential
 Quality of research/ers and Ongoingness
 Optimism (but when?)
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Conclusions: Big Questions
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Can researchers demonstrate value and
usefulness?
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Can politicians and program managers think
longer term?
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Can Australians recognise the value of applied
research for informed societal action?