Healthy Ageing: Concepts, Interventions, and Preparing for the Future (FutureLearn)

The World Health Organisation's Decade of Healthy Ageing is underway. Discover how we can enjoy prolonged years of good health. Discover how to enable healthy ageing as life expectancy increases. Life expectancy is increasing. In the UK, the average person now lives to the age of 81, up from 77 in 2000. This increase in lifespan has not been matched, however, with an increase in ‘healthspan’ – years of healthy, independent life. Many older adults suffer from increased frailty, and other common health problems. This healthcare course from the University of Birmingham addresses current challenges and opportunities related to healthy ageing.

Enroll in course

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Discover tools and methodologies for healthy ageing

On this course, you will learn how to assess frailty, and explore measures to slow its onset. We will also look at current physical activity guidelines and debunk myths and correct misunderstandings about nutrition in older age.

You will discover different research methodologies applied to improving healthspan.

The course will enable you to apply what you learn about healthy ageing to real-life scenarios and your own research.

Explore the latest research into healthy ageing

This healthy ageing course is evidence-based, drawing on the latest research. The University of Birmingham is a leader in this field. It has also been built in consultation with older adults, to listen to their concerns and lived experiences. Ageing will be considered in the context of health inequality.

This course lines up with the UK Government’s Ageing Society Grand Challenge, which is “for people to enjoy five more years of healthy, independent living by 2035”. It also coincides with the WHO’s Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030).

What topics will you cover?

- Ageing/ frailty demographics WHO/ government targets.

- Age related health inequalities.

- Interventions to combat frailty.

- Physical activity/ nutrition research.

- Research methods/ tools and techniques

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Gain new knowledge based on the current evidence in terms of healthy ageing, causes of physical frailty, functional consequences, and interventions to ameliorate those consequences and maintain/ improve physical independence and healthspan.

- Assess frailty across a number of settings, including in LMICs, using different techniques and methodologies.

- Learn about different research methodologies applied to improve healthspan through maintenance of physical independence and amelioration of frailty.

- Apply knowledge gained to personal research as well as reinforcing the evidence-base applied to current practice.

- Gain understanding of global applications and insights.

- Gain insights into older persons’ perspectives and priorities through their own voices, by consulting with them on course structure and content, and via co-created research.