Modern society is changing the way we live, work and relate to each other. Digitalization is eliminating the need for everyday social interactions and consequently, issues such as social isolation and loneliness are becoming pressing public health problems. Older adults are particularly susceptible to social isolation due to a number of factors such as retirement, bereavement, loss of social contacts, declining health conditions, and other age-related major life transitions. Adverse health effects of social isolation...

In Northern Ireland, as in other developed countries, life expectancy is increasing and the population is rapidly ageing. However, official figures show that people in Northern Ireland experience more years of ill health or disability than any other part of the UK. The interplay between longer life and health has introduced the ‘compression of morbidity’ concept of the postponement of chronic disease and disability until later years. However, research conducted on the interplay between disability,...

Among married people, loss of a spouse has been shown to be associated with excess mortality, even after controlling for potential confounding factors. This phenomenon is known as the widowhood effect. While the widowhood effect has been found in a range of different studies across different countries, relatively little is known about how the size of the widowhood effect differs across different groups of people. One early study noted that excess mortality among widowers in...

The current project seeks evidence of a 'retirement transition' affecting the mobility patterns of the 50 to 64-year-old age group within the UK’s Celtic fringe. The retirement transition concept refers to the behavioural changes affecting pre-retirement age groups and assumes that the expectation of retirement acts as a catalyst for change, including a change of residence. Such migration in the UK is commonly associated with peripheral and scenically attractive areas. Accordingly, the project focuses on...

The research outlined below is part of a larger project examining significant forms of harm that can affect the elderly in Northern Ireland. These can be physical (falls, accidents, injuries), financial (income poverty, fuel poverty) or psychological (fear of crime). Figures show that these types of harm occur at a higher rate than crime, and are often much more detrimental. Also, it is argued that, by maintaining focus on crime, emphasis will remain on crime...

The numbers of people aged 65 and over in Northern Ireland is projected to rise markedly over the next 15 years. This will place additional burdens on the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Good evidence-based research will be required for the development of new community care services which this increase in older people will demand, however at the moment evidence on appropriate health and community care for older people is limited. It...