Over 8,000 Older People Participate in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
Posted on: 18 February 2011
Over 8,000 people aged 50 and older have participated in Ireland’s most comprehensive study on ageing, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
Commenting on the high level of response, Principal Investigator of TILDA, Professor Rose Anne Kenny said: “The response rate is in excess of 60%, which is a very strong indication of the willingness of the Irish people to contribute to this important research that will be of long-term benefit to the country.”
The results of the first wave of the research based on the 8,000 participants’ shared experience of ageing will be published in May.
By 2036 one in five Irish people will be over 65 years of age, with the greatest increase being in those over 80 years of age. Ageing on this scale is unparalleled in Irish history and will have significant consequences for Ireland’s economy and society. TILDA, which is funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies, Irish Life and the Department of Health and Children, will help to solve the many issues our country faces as the population lives longer. The personal knowledge, observations and experiences of the individuals participating in the study will underpin public policy in a future that sees unprecedented growth in the ageing population of Ireland.
Older people are being interviewed at two yearly intervals so that researchers can gain in-depth insights into the process of ageing. The social interviews are being carried out in respondents’ homes and health assessments are being conducted in the TILDA Health Assessment Centre at Trinity College Dublin and in University College Cork. These centres are equipped with appropriate equipment for cardiovascular, bone density, visual acuity, and cognitive testing, as well as other important medical assessments.
A new member joining the TILDA team is Professor Alan Barrett of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) who will take up the position as Project Director of TILDA at Trinity College Dublin from March 1st next. Professor Barrett has been seconded from the ESRI under the TCD/ESRI Strategic Partnership.
In recent years, Professor Barrett became well-known as the lead author of the ESRI’s Quarterly Economic Commentary. Parallel to his work on economic forecasting, he also wrote a large number of academic papers on Ireland’s experience of immigration. He has been working with the TILDA team on a part-time basis since early 2010.
Commenting on his appointment Professor Barrett said: “TILDA is an enormously exciting research project and looks at an area which is of huge importance. For these reasons, I’m delighted with this opportunity. I hope to play a very positive role in generating a deeper understanding of the lives and circumstances of Ireland’s older adults.”
A short video about TILDA can be viewed on YouTube.
About TILDA
TILDA is a study of a representative cohort of 8,000 people living in Ireland over the age of 50, charting their health, social and economic circumstances over a 10-year period. It will collect detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including:
- Health dimension – physical, mental, service needs and usage
- Economic dimension – pensions, employment, income and assets;
- Social dimension – contact with friends and family, formal and informal care, social participation.
The study is led by Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator, Professor Brendan Whelan, Research Director and Professor Alan Barrett, Project Director.
The study is being carried out by Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with an interdisciplinary panel of scientific researchers, with expertise in various fields of ageing, from the Dundalk Institute of Technology, the Economic and Social Research Institute, the National University of Ireland Galway, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Cork, University College Dublin and Waterford Institute of Technology. For further details on TILDA visit www.tilda.ie
About Professor Alan Barrett
Professor Alan Barrett holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Michigan State University. He joined the ESRI in 1994, immediately after completing his doctorate. Between 2001 and 2003, he spent two years on secondment to the Department of Finance where he worked on the long-run fiscal implications of population ageing. He is a Research Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Labour in Bonn and an associate editor of the Economic and Social Review, Ireland’s leading journal for economics and applied social sciences.
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