Director’s Welcome

Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Director, Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin

Welcome to Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) –  (Institiúid Mercer um Aosú Bisiúil) – at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.  You are very welcome here.

Enabled by the tremendous generosity and support of Mr. Chuck Feeney, The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Department of Health and the HSE, MISA represents the culmination of more than thirty years of planning.

In 2016, MISA was commissioned by President Michael D. Higgins who spoke of the opportunities for elderly citizens to enjoy active and fulfilled lives. He noted, “In a world where we can expect to see more and more people leading significantly longer lives, innovative and creative thought around the ageing process will become increasingly important”.

Our goal is to advance the conditions for successful ageing.

 

      

About Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing – (MISA) – (Institiúid Mercer um Aosú Bisiúil)

One of the great success stories of modern times is the increasing number of people living into old age. This triumph is also one of our greatest challenges. The rapid ageing of the global population is driven by the reduction of fertility rates and increasing longevity.

The global share of people aged 60 years or over increased from 9.2% in 1990 to 11.7% in 2013, and will continue to grow as a proportion of the world population, reaching 21.1% by 2050. The number of people aged 60 years or over is expected to more than double, from 841 million people in 2013 to more than 2 billion in 2050 (United Nations, 2013).

In most regions and countries, the population aged 60 or more is growing faster than younger adults and children (United Nations, 2013) and this has important consequences for the family, the labour market, and health and social care systems.

At Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing, the work we do rests on four pillars:

  • Clinical Care – Ensures excellence in care and an integrated patient-centred pathway by locating clinical facilities in one area.
  • Research & Development – Fosters a vibrant environment that produces high-quality research that is rapidly translated into effective clinical care, pioneering technologies, and age-friendly policies.
  • Education & Training – Promotes professional training, care-giver support, and empowers older adults to advocate for their health and well-being.
  • Creative Life Centre – Advances creativity and wellbeing, enabling adults to express themselves through art, music, literature and drama, while also providing intergenerational programmes that advance skills.

MISA specialises in bone health, falls and syncope, memory disorders, mental health, stroke, gerontological nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and provides general medical services to older adults.  Our new building includes 116 beds: four 29-bedded wards each consisting of 20 single rooms and three 3-bedded rooms.

Donations

The Mercer’s Institute has a very comprehensive teaching and research programme to ensure a high quality of care and service to patients. We are very dependent on the goodwill and support of our benefactors to maintain the high standard that we seek. If you would like to support our research, education, training and our work please contact our senior administrator Ms. Carol Murphy at cmurphy@stjames.ie.

Latest News

Inaugural Parkinson’s Disease Conference 2024

Save the date on your calendar for the Inaugural Parkinson’s Disease Conference, planned to be held on the 12th of April 2024 in St James’s Hospital.

11th International Syncope Training Day – Hybrid Event

We welcome a host of local and international experts for our 10th International Syncope Training Day. Join us online or face to face.

Date/Time: 

Friday, 1st March 2024 9am-4pm

Location:

MISA Building, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8

For more details and to register click here

MISA Education & Training Update 2023

Final Journeys Workshop launched this year

Following on from its launch in April, our MedEL Final Journeys Workshop continued throughout the summer months and we have had over 87 members of the nursing and healthcare assistant team form our older persons inpatient wards attend. This quality improvement project (QIP) encompasses our Patient Centred Care ethos as it aims to introduce a strategic and focused approach to the improvement of end-of-life care St James’s Hospital. This QIP was identified as a result of reviewing patient/family feedback, reviewing the gaps in EOLC specific education and training within the MedEL directorate team whilst also reviewing staffs core competencies and to meet the needs of our service. It also is within keeping of the  Magnet for Europe project also as it discuss self-care and self-help for staff who are caring for the dying patient.

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Technology 2019

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Technology 2019 at St. James’s Hospital is designed to provide the non-AI expert with a basic understanding of AI concepts and a road map to the application of AI in healthcare. Intended for clinicians, healthcare professionals, engineers and scientists, the objective of the seminar is to demystify AI and to provide …