Members of the Queen’s on Ageing network are leading a range of projects which are so fundamental to the local context that they form a vital part of the research infrastructure in Northern Ireland, the UK and beyond. For instance, Parkinsons@NI is highly regarded for its applied and engaged scholarship, connecting local stakeholders and research partners interested in improving quality of life for people with Parkinson's. Likewise, our members have expertise in the impact of urban environments on healthy ageing and cognition through the SPACE project.

The NICOLA project is a longitudinal study of ageing, which means that it studies the same sample of people aged 50 or more over a long period of time. This allows us to see how and why some people seem to enjoy ‘healthy ageing’ while others experience challenges. The research is led by the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University Belfast. NICOLA benefits from extensive input from a wide range of experts.  These include the medical and health sciences, economics and management, social sciences, architecture and psychology.  This enables a broad range of research to be carried out both with QUB and externally through collaboration with international research groups. Some of this research has yielded fascinating results around the impact of trauma on cognitive functioning in old age, the factors maintaining eye health and how genes and environment interact to produce very different experiences of later life.

We also undertake work in reducing dementia stigma, endeavouring to show that it is neither normal nor to be expected in old age. We do this through gamification, use of virtual reality and even through the use of fictional characters to investigate empathic responses to people with dementia.

In Arts, Humanities and Social Studies we have a range of innovative interdisciplinary studies of human ageing that have pushed forward the field of cultural gerontology in significant ways. For instance, the Lively Project used objects to understand what it means to live a long life while Dementia in the Minds of Characters and Readers used fictional characters to investigate empathic responses to people with dementia. Scholars from linguistics, film, social work and social policy work often work directly with older people or with charities seeking to support and empower older people. We are not afraid to tackle the difficult issues – we have expertise in elder abuse, social isolation, ageing in Africa and the impact of the COVID pandemic on older people.