New academy aims to promote active ageing with holistic multi-disciplinary approach

The Leicester Academy for the Study of Ageing hopes to tackle the challenges of ageing and improve outcomes for older people through new models of care.

The vision of the new Centre is to promote active ageing, defined by the World Health Organisation as ‘the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age’.

The Leicester Academy for the Study of Ageing (LASA) is a collaboration between De Montfort University and two local healthcare providers (University Hospitals of Leicester and Leicestershire Partnership Trust) as well as Age UK.

Jayne Brown, professor of nursing (older people) at DMU, and Simon Conroy, geriatrician, University Hospitals of Leicester and honorary professor, University of Leicester, are helping set up the academy. Dr Conroy, who believes the academy is very much needed, said: “It is responding to the need to change the nature of health care to be fit to treat older people.

“Existing services aren't really geared up for this. It's not just hospitals but the whole system that needs to up its game to manage older people with frailty.

“Hospitals deal with single problems but older people often have more than one, such as dementia and mobility problems.”

He added: “LASA will develop the capacity and competence to improve care and enhance wellbeing.”

The key priority for LASA, according to DMU’s Professor Brown is to help the local community in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

She said: "We felt there was a need for a new initiative where health and social care work together. The idea is LASA should make a difference locally, but we want to work beyond that.

“We will be the problem-solvers - the centre of choice for commissioners and providers alike for advice on how to improve care for older people, whether by research, education or service delivery.”

LASA will work across all faculties of DMU, with the potential to look at a wide range of issues facing older people, such as legal matters and clothes for people with conditions such as arthritis.

Cheryl Clegg, head of Information, Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland, added: “We will be looking at all aspects of an older person's life - extending integrated care, improving the quality of care and also helping friends and relatives, as often older people care for older people.

"We are honoured to be involved. We can feed in the views of older people and the issues facing them and Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland can facilitate contact with older people.

“LASA really will reinforce the benefits of working together.”

Initially, LASA aims to bring together a community of experts from across all disciplines. Longer term, they want to generate research that can be translated into practice, with all work person - or patient-centred.