Active aging

The Centre for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine has launched a major research project to investigate old age care for future generations.

Head of the centre Bettina Husebø along with a team of innovation firms, internationally recognised universities and Norwegian scientists have launched a research programme designed to enable older people to live at home for longer. The centre has applied for status as an SFI (Centre for Research-based Innovation), something which would give them extensive funding over several years.

The project aims to reduce dementia by 35 per cent and examine how technology can improve quality of life for patients and their next-of-kin. The scientists also want to cut the socio-economic cost of age-related diseases through a collaboration between research, clinicians, society and industry. They hope to see a reduction in the number of older people going into care homes and for more of them to continue to live active lives.

The residents at Helgetun senior village, Samuel Massie and his grandfather Arne Ulvolden have all volunteered to be research objects for the project. Another partner is the Bergen International Festival. In 2019 the foundation supported, for the third time, a free event for older people during the festival. The show, called Goosebumps, was specially designed for people with dementia and their next-of-kin.

Read more on the centre’s website (Norwegian)