2008 annual event:

‘Grey Matters: Engaging the Intellectual Capital of Older People’

This event took place on Thursday 24th April 2008 at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Considerable public funding is spent on research to improve the health and well-being of older people and to underpin policies that impact in many areas of their lives. Engagement of older people as the ‘consumers’ of this research by universities and other public bodies is now seen as essential – “nothing about us, without us”.

This conference will focus on some of the exciting opportunities developing in the North East for engagement in research programmes undertaken by our universities, NHS Trusts and other public bodies. It will include the launch of ‘Older People and the Research Agenda’ – a Task Group Report from Years Ahead which sets out a blueprint for harnessing the intellectual capital and experience of older people in our region.

It will also provide opportunity for older people to debate and inform recommendations for national policy and strategy arising from the next round of the Government’s ‘Foresight’ project which seeks to harness future developments in science and technology to the needs of society.

The conference aims to further understanding of the current drive for greater public engagement; to discuss mechanisms for engagement by older people; to outline the major opportunities for such engagement in the North East; and to consider how this agenda should be taken forward.

The event should be of major interest to older people themselves and to those concerned with developing policies and services that affect older people. It will also be of interest to those working in research or those seeking to develop the ‘knowledge economy’ and the substantial business opportunities arising from ageing of the population and demographic change.

 

---

Programme

9.30 – 10.00	Registration and coffee on arrival
10.00 – 10.10	Welcome
	Mrs Elsie Richardson, Vice Chair, Years Ahead
10.10 – 10.40	Open doors in the Ivory towers: a key role for public engagement
	Professor Jim Edwardson, Chair, Years Ahead
10.40 - 11.00	Older People and the Research Agenda: the Years Ahead Task Group report and recommendations
	Professor Jan Reed, Chair, Task Group
11.00 – 11.30	Beacons for Public Engagement
	Dr Tom Wakeford, Project Director – I-know
11.30 - 12.00	Why we need public and patient involvement
	Zena Jones and Diane Gulliver, Stroke Research Network
12.00 – 1.00	Lunch
1.00 - 1.20	The policy context: how are older people involved?
	Kate Adams, Help the Aged
1.20 – 1.45	The Government ‘Foresight’ initiative: Well-being and older people
	Dr Katie Brittain, Lecturer in Social Gerontology, Newcastle University
1.45 - 3.00	Foresight recommendations: comment and feedback
	Round Table discussions
3.00 – 3.30	Taking things forward in the North East
	Dr Lynne Corner, Co-ordinator, Years Ahead
3.30	Finish

---