On Wednesday 4th of December ORN hosted a meeting of the Academic Research Group who meet four times each year. The topic was ‘The role of the environment on healthy ageing and cognitive health: SPACE project’. The slide deck and recording of the webinar is now available to download and watch-on-demand.

The December ARG session focused on the role of the environment for healthy aging and cognitive health. The number of people worldwide living with dementia and cognitive impairment is increasing, mainly due to people living longer. Leading researchers in this area from Queens University Belfast will share insights from the SPACE project which seeks to understand how where we live affects dementia and brain health as we get older. Some research suggests that where we live might influence our brain health. As more of us now live in towns and cities, it is important that the environment where we live (regardless of geographic location or socio-economic status) is designed to maximise our brain health.

The role of the environment on healthy ageing and cognitive health: SPACE project
Prof Ruth Hunter
Ruth’s research explores the role of the environment on health. She leads the SPACE project (https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/space/) about the role of the environment on health ageing and cognitive health, and the GroundsWell consortium (https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/groundswell/) which focuses of green/blue spaces and inequalities. She is the Director of a WHO Collaborating Centre on systems science and chronic disease prevention. Her presentation will provide an overview of the SPACE project.

Introduction to the SPACE Geoportal to support policy, practice and research
Dr Shay Mullineaux
Shay’s research focuses on the interactions between the living and physical components of the environment, by developing approaches to explore the mechanisms underlying ecotoxicological and environmental change phenomena, and the potential applications for environmental management and public health. His current work focuses on the physical environment and implications for aging and mental health. Shay will present an overview of the SPACE geoportal, which provides access to over 80 environmental datasets across Northern Ireland.

Policy and impact tools from the SPACE project
Dr Niamh O’Kane
A key objective of the SPACE project was knowledge transfer and the development of resources that would be useful beyond research, for policy and practice. Niamh will present an overview of some of the policy and impact tools and resources developed by the SPACE project, including impact reports, videos and factsheets, webinars and podcasts.