Aim(s):

(i) To characterise patterns of hearing problems and of hearing aid use in NICOLA and to compare these patterns in a qualitative fashion with those found in TILDA. 

(ii) To evaluate the cross-sectional relationship between hearing problems and cognitive functioning, using regression modelling. 

(iii) To evaluate loneliness, social isolation, and social engagement as moderators of the putative relationship between hearing problems and cognitive functioning, using a structural equation modelling approach. 

Aims are to:

1.     Characterise and compare alcohol consumption patterns in older adults in Ireland

2.     Determine associations between alcohol patterns and cognitive function 

Aim: to elucidate the direct and indirect pathways between social determinants and cognitive decline among older Irish adults, to further understand and identify potential points of intervention in the progression of cognitive decline. 

Primary objectives:

Aim(s): To examine the impact of VR on the understanding of emotions, cognitions and behaviours for people living with dementia among health professionals and carers.

The proposed research aims to create empirical evidence regarding the impact of befriending services on health and loneliness, assisting ALONE in developing and refining their mission statement. The research question is: “Do befriending services improve health (measured as health-related quality of life and cognitive function), and do they mitigate the impact of loneliness on health?” A secondary aim is to identify, using exploratory methods, potential mechanisms through which befriending impacts health.

Project Aim(s): To explore the perspectives of multiple stakeholders on respite services for dementia, with a view to informing service development in the Irish context.

Project Aim(s): To support national and local Parkinson’s disease service planning by three linked work packages.

The first maps the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease and service availability for people with Parkinson’s, across each of the nine Community Healthcare Organisation regions in Ireland, to highlight mismatches between population needs and service provision.

One promising approach for the treatment of PD is cellular brain repair whereby the cells that have died in the condition are replaced by transplantation of healthy cells into the brain. However, this approach has faced several limitations including poor survival of the transplanted cells in the PD brain. To address this limitation, we have recently shown that biomaterials - that is, materials that have been specifically engineered to interact with living systems for therapeutic purposes – have the potential to dramatically improve cellular brain repair for PD.