A University of Dundee-led initiative, which aims to change the design of care homes in order to enhance the lives of older people, is among seven projects set to benefit from a share of £8m of funding.

The funds are from three of the UK's research councils.

The Built Environment for Social Inclusion in the Digital Economy (BESiDE), is a project led by Professor Vicki Hanson from the School of Computing at Dundee, which has received £1.3m in funding.

Professor Hanson said: "With changes in population demographics resulting in a growing number of care homes, economic, health and ethical considerations demand that attention be directed to effective means of creating an enabling built environment to provide older adults with healthy and socially fulfilling lives.

"Our research will address a significant knowledge gap focussed on measures to mitigate problems and enhance the experience of older people within the built environment.

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"Through systematic analysis of the failings and successes of older people's care environments, the research will identify how better-informed building design can help greater mobility, physical activity, social connectedness and wellbeing of older people."

Project partners who will contribute include Balhousie Care Group, Bupa Care Services, Collective Architecture Limited and Healthfield Residential Home Ltd.

The wider range of projects will see more than 5,000 people contribute their views, experiences and even their brain wave patterns, to help shape the future design of our towns, cities and care homes so they meet the needs of older people.

The seven new research projects, that help older people to get around, enjoy and interact with the world more easily, through improved design of the built environment, have received an injection of £8m funding from three of the country's research councils.

The projects span a range of subjects and disciplines and adopt a 'whole systems' approach to improving the design of the built environment. They will look at the challenges to, and opportunities for, older people enjoying an independent, active and mobile lifestyle.

Announcing the funding, Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, said: "We need to do everything we can to meet the needs of our ageing population. These research projects will involve thousands of volunteers and draw on the expertise of Britain's leading universities to help older people live more healthily, happily and independently."

(JP/CD)