With life expectancy increasing worldwide, a new 'Ageing and Health' (PDF) publication by the Medical Research Council (MRC) highlights groundbreaking work on the ageing process, which could help elderly people not only live longer, but also lead healthier and happier lives.
'Ageing and Health', the first in a new series of booklets about MRC research to improve human health, lays out the causes of age-related disorders such as brain ageing (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and dementia), cardiovascular disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer, and describes MRC-funded research that has led to pioneering treatment and prevention.
Key MRC achievements are highlighted in 'Ageing and Health', including the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which gives scientists a window through which they can see inside the living body, and can watch the brain in real time, which is of particular importance for patients with Alzheimer's disease.
The publication also outlines investigations by the MRC into the best ways GPs and other healthcare professionals can improve the care they provide to elderly people on a day-to-day basis. One study has enabled MRC researchers to develop a new test that illustrates the patterns of a person's hearing loss more precisely than previously. This will help doctors to identify when a patient will benefit from a hearing aid and which type of aid to choose.