A woodland scene in the Autumn

Centre for Ageing Research

Conducting high quality interdisciplinary research and promoting research-led teaching around ageing, older people and age-related disease that establishes Lancaster University as a leading regional, national and international centre of excellence for ageing research and teaching.

Welcome

With the increasing older population and rising numbers of the “oldest old”, much of C4AR research focuses on how we can ensure older people experience an active and healthy older age and how we can “compress morbidity” so that periods of poor health in later life start later. In this way, our healthy lifespan becomes closer to our actual lifespan. This will have significant impacts on us all as individuals as we age, but also on those who care for us and the costs for our health and social care systems.

C4AR Logo

Objectives

  • To promote and conduct high-quality interdisciplinary research concerning ageing throughout Lancaster University, and beyond to national and international academic, policy, practitioner and older people's networks;
  • To establish a strong international visibility and reputation for ageing research and research-led teaching at Lancaster, that establishes Lancaster as a major international hub for research, scholarship and debate around ageing.
  • To provide a focus for external funding applications for interdisciplinary ageing research.
  • To develop postgraduate training in ageing and ageing research and to provide a major point of attraction for research and taught postgraduates in the field;
  • To develop CPD training on ageing for those tasked with planning and providing care and support for ageing populations across the UK and beyond.

Our research

Scientists working in C4AR at Lancaster University are making significant contributions to both early diagnosis and alleviation of some of the worst effects of psychological and physiological ageing, ranging from lab based biomedical advances to approaches to care in the community, in long term care homes and hospitals. Our research work encompasses neuro-degenerative disease (particularly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), molecular change associated with the ageing process as well as pathological developments associated with disease. We are also working on the design, development and implementation of new technologies to support and enhance the health and wellbeing of older people and their care-givers.

Importantly, however it is Lancaster's reputation for interdisciplinarity that underpins its strength in the field of Ageing Research. Social scientists at Lancaster are playing an important role in contributing to our understanding of how best to address the needs of older people and their carers in ways that are both proactive and conscious of the need to place prevention, dignity, choice and independence at the forefront of care and support for older people.

It is the important strength of our interdisciplinary approach that enables us to gain more detailed insights and offer more effective interventions to support a more successful ageing process.

Outlines of Research Interests

Read about all the research happening at the Centre for Ageing Research by associated staff.

C4AR Members - Outlines of Research

Tab Content: Current Examples of Research

Example 1

Researchers in Lancaster’s Neuroscience of Speech and Action Laboratory are working on a longitudinal study on the impact of social isolation during COVID-19 on hearing and memory in older and younger adults in the UK.

In the COVID-19 Social Hearing Study, Dr Kate Slade, Dr Helen Nuttall, and Professor Chris Plack seek to understand the impact of isolation, and changes to communication and social interactions occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic on hearing and memory ability across younger and older adults. Many health concerns become more prevalent in later life, including hearing loss, social isolation, and memory decline and importantly, many of these health concerns are interrelated; for example, both hearing loss and social isolation are internationally recognised as risk factors for dementia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social interactions changed massively, these changes were more significant for older adults, many of whom were asked to shield or isolate, reducing in-person social interactions drastically. This study investigates whether older adults' hearing and memory functions have been disproportionately affected during the pandemic, compared to younger adults.

Study information: https://osf.io/6fq9g
Laboratory website http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/nosalab/research-projects/covid-19-and-the-brain/

Example 2

Scientists at Lancaster in partnership with a local NHS Trust have shown that people with Alzheimer's disease have difficulty with one particular type of eye tracking test and this simple test could hold the key to earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Detailed eye-tracking measurements, taken from Alzheimer's patients and the control group showed stark contrasts in results. Patients with Alzheimer's made errors 10 times more frequently compared to those in the control groups.

Researchers also measured memory function among those Alzheimer's patients who found the test difficult and were able to show a clear correlation with lower memory function. These new results are potentially very exciting as they demonstrate, for the first time, a connection with the memory impairment that is so often the first noticeable symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

Watch a TV interview with Professor Trevor Crawford talking about this research (YouTube).

Example 3

An Observational Cohort Study of Longitudinal Impacts on Frailty and wellbeing of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Older Adults in England and Spain.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, the governments initiated a country-wide lockdown, limiting the mobility and social interactions of the population. Lockdown is linked to health issues, yet the full impact on health remains unknown, particularly in more vulnerable groups. This study examined the impact of lockdown on frailty and outcomes in high and low COVID-19 risk older adults. We examined health-related behaviours and support resources participants used during lockdown(s).

We recruited a total of 70 participants (aged >70) in England and Spain. Participants were allocated to higher or lower COVID-19 risk groups based on UK NHS guidelines. Participants completed assessments for frailty, quality of life, loneliness, exercise frequency, social interaction, coping resources, and perception of environmental age-friendliness on four occasions over a 7-month period.

Frailty was highest when lockdown restrictions were at the most severe and lowest when restrictions were at their lowest. Frailty was also significantly higher in the Spanish cohort. This change over time was mirrored by perceptions of environmental age-friendliness. Coping resources did not mitigate changes in frailty or outcomes over time but increases in physical activity predicted a reduction in frailty. Lockdown(s) negatively impacted frailty and therefore increased the risk of adverse effects for older adults, but recovery once lockdown eased was evidence, but the extent of the recovery, and how it compares to pre-lockdown frailty levels remains unknown. Further research is required to consider the longer-term impacts of lockdown and methods to mitigate these adverse effects.

Related paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13735

Example 4

Prehabilitation is a term used to describe exercise, nutrition, and psycho-social interventions that are used typically before surgery. Work from Dr Chris Gaffney’s lab (Lancaster Medical School) is examining the benefits and mechanisms of prehabilitation for patients with colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancer. They are interested in how prehabilitation can modify clinical outcomes such as surgical complication rates or length of hospital stay but also changes in physiology. These include changes in cardiovascular performance or changes in skeletal (movement) muscles that can determine our health and wellbeing.

Related paper: https://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/Abstract/2021/07000/The_Impact_of_Prehabilitation_on_Patient_Outcomes.17.aspx

Example 5

Work led by Dr Ed Parkin (Biomedical and Life Sciences) is investigating the molecular mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s disease and new ways to treat this disease including the use of gene therapy. This work is known as basic science and is conducted primarily in cell lines and the model organism called C. elegans, which is a microscopic worm. The work started out by testing a drug originally used to treat high lipid levels in blood (Gemfibrozil) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s models.

Related paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006899320306223?via%3Dihub

Ageing, oxidative damage and mitochondrial DNA mutation.

Contact: Dr David Clancy

Tab Content: Examples of Current Projects

Examples of current projects being undertaken by core members of C4AR

Impact of COVID-19 on people affected by Parkinson’s.

This project is a collaboration with the charity Parkinson’s UK. Parkinson’s UK surveyed their members (people with Parkinson’s and their families and carers) during the most severe lockdown restrictions to find out the impact of the lockdown and associated difficulties on those affected by Parkinson’s. The findings were analysed by researchers at Lancaster and Parkinson’s UK together and can be found in the final report, (this report will download from the parkinsons.org.uk website). We also interviewed people with Parkinson’s about their experiences of lockdown and will continue to follow them up over the coming year. Contact: Professor Jane Simpson and Dr Fiona Eccles

ProtoPolicyAsia

This 12-month AHRC funded project aims to increase local community participation in the Malaysian national policy-making process to work together with relevant government agencies on social issues that relate to older persons and persons with disabilities.

Contact: Dr Emmanuel Tsekleves

The Roles of ACER and Insulin/IGF-like Signalling in the Dietary Moderation of Sleep and Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster.

Contact: Dr Sue Broughton

Tab Content: Postgraduate Research

The Centre for Ageing Research provides a vibrant hub for postgraduate activity across the disciplines. More than 28 postgraduate research students are currently affiliated to the Centre. Examples of research projects being undertaken by research students within the Centre include:

  • Exploring how care home staff manage responsive behaviours, associated with dementia, in care homes in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Moral Distress in Moderate to Advanced Dementia Care: An Exploration of Informal Caregivers’ Experience of Home-Based Care Provision at End of Life
  • The Role of Engaging in Participatory Arts for the Health and Wellbeing of People with Dementia and their Carers
  • A holistic statistical approach for determining the relationships between social, economic and health markers using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
  • Testing and development of TDP-43 aggregation inhibitors
  • Insulin/IGF-like Signalling and Brain Ageing in Drosophila melanogaster
  • Exploring the experiences of depression on older workers in the contemporary workplace drawing participants from various organisations in the United Kingdom
  • Finding genes on the mitochondrial genome linked to various conditions associated with ageing

If you would like more information on our postgraduate research projects please contact us at C4AR@lancaster.ac.uk.

Research with us

C4AR are constantly looking for partners to work with us in our research. Information about the networks we are actively engaged with are listed below.

Cognitive Frailty Interdisciplinary Network (CFIN)

A team from C4AR has helped establish a new Cognitive Frailty Interdisciplinary Network (CFIN), which aims are to explore the behavioural, social and biological determinants of cognitive frailty, looking at the underlying biological mechanisms. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council it is a cross-discipline network which also includes co-investigators at Newcastle, Aston, Sheffield Hallam and Heriot-Watt Universities, as well as an international External Advisory Group led by colleagues at Durham University and at the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA).

C4AR Research Panel

The C4AR Research Panel is a group of people interested in helping researchers at C4AR by participating in their projects.

You must be 55 or over and in good health to be on the panel but otherwise there are no other requirements and once on the panel, members can take part in as many or as few research projects as they like.

Join our panel

C4AR Research Panel

Watch our introductory video about the panel.

Study with us

Our blended learning courses have an international focus, offering global perspectives at a top UK university. These degrees allow you to balance your work, job and family commitment by studying part-time via e-learning, while offering support from experienced professional and academic teams.

Learn theories in gerontology and ageing, research skills and practice, health and social care systems, social policies in the UK and globally; and gain deeper insights in population ageing, and how to provide better health and care systems to support older people and families.

Doing a PhD in ageing research with C4AR

All our faculty academics welcome enquiries from people interested in doing a self-funded PhD. Please see the above link to the Expertise and Research Summaries document to see who might be an appropriate supervisor for your discipline and interest, or email us.

To submit a proposal application, we strongly recommend you contact a potential supervisor found in this document before doing so.

Applying for postgraduate study

Featured Recent Paper

Doebler, S. 2025

Access to transport, life satisfaction and the mental wellbeing of rural older people in England under austerity

Journal of Rural Studies

ISSN 0743-0167

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016725001202

Abstract:

Access to affordable and good quality transport is reported to be important for the wellbeing of and mental health of older people, especially in rural areas, by ensuring mobility, human connections and independence. In the UK, 14 years of austerity, the long-term deregulation of public transport provision in England, and rising costs of living have affected older people's access to transport. The links between access to transport, quality of life and mental health in the UK are under-researched and there is a dearth of population level studies. This paper presents a longitudinal statistical analysis of the relationship between access to transport and mental wellbeing and life satisfaction in England. The analysis uses longitudinal Understanding Society (UKHLS) data and distinguishes between rural village, town and urban dwellers. The findings indicate that transport deprivation is a significant concern for a considerable minority in rural villages and towns, and it adversely affects people's life satisfaction and mental wellbeing. Furthermore, access to transport mediates the positive relationships between living rurally and higher quality of life. There is an urgent need for policymakers to tackle transport deprivation in rural England.

Keywords: Ageing; Transport; Rural deprivation; Austerity; UK

Sound Minds event

C4AR had the pleasure of sponsoring and collaborating on a 'Sound Minds' event on the 11th November 2024.

Hosted by Lancaster’s Psychology Department in collaboration with the Faculty of Health and Medicine, this successful public engagement event showcased the latest research into age-related hearing loss and brain health being conducted at the University.

The event, organised by Dr Helen Nuttall, Dr Kate Slade, Jessica Pepper, and Maisie Dransfield aimed to attract some of the local area’s older residents to engage with the University in meaningful knowledge exchange, but also to co-create with them the future research on hearing and brain health. The event was incredibly popular amongst its target demographic and was fully booked, with over 40 eager attendees showing up to learn more about hearing and the brain.

As well as introductions from the lead researchers, there were interactive activities. These included a fun myth-busting quiz on hearing loss, its impact on cognition, and its association with dementia, with an emphasis on looking after our hearing in older age to improve communication, protect quality of life, and support healthy ageing. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate on a tour of Lancaster University’s neuroscience research facilities, including the opportunity to get hands-on with some demonstrations of hearing and brain experiments, hearing assessments, a VR experience simulating what hearing loss is like and the chance to get their balance measured using a wearable sensor.

The afternoon revolved around the researchers learning from the participants in relation to how they felt hearing loss might impact older people, how technology can assist those struggling with their hearing, and areas of research that they felt were the most important for researchers to pursue.

Organiser Dr Helen Nuttall commented on the success of the day for all involved: “We felt incredibly passionate about organising the Sound Minds event health as we wanted to demystify research and welcome a diverse range of older adults, ensuring that our future research priorities are co-created with members of the Lancashire community. Sharing knowledge widely ensures that research findings can reach the people who could benefit from them.

  • Image 1 ""

    A Sound Minds expert demonstrating equipment

  • Image 2 ""

    An attendee tries out a virtual headset experience

  • Image 3 ""

    Demonstrating a medical image on a laptop screen

  • Image 4 ""

    Members of the Sound Minds team

Together an Active Future

Together an Active Future is a Sport England funded programme that is looking to deliver a sustainable increase to activity levels of people in 12 pilot projects including one in Pennine Lancashire.

Visit our page

C4AR in the news

Forthcoming C4AR Events

Throughout the course of each academic year we are proud to host a range of seminars and student forums.

Each year, we also host a major event called 'Annual Research Showcase', with a specific theme guiding the content of each event. Open to all, this event consists of a variety of presentations and discussions from respected figures associated with the field of ageing research.

This accordion lists event information and links to accompanying resources, where applicable. accordion

C4AR Event Resources

Whenever possible, we aim to make resources available for visitors to download in the days following a C4AR event.

Resources include presentations, papers and event video recordings. Please feel free to download materials where a corresponding link is provided.

This accordion provides a list of resources made available from previous events held by C4AR. accordion

Staff members

Contact us

For further information about C4AR, or to sign up to our mailing list, please contact one of the following members of staff:

Professor Carol Holland

Director of the Centre for Ageing Research (C4AR)

c.a.holland@lancaster.ac.uk

Professor Trevor Crawford

Department of Psychology & C4AR

t.crawford@lancaster.ac.uk

C4AR Administration Assistant

c4ar@lancaster.ac.uk