Ageing Well Public Talks Series: Making friends in blue and green spaces – Yoseph Araya and Gráinne O’Connor

Join us for the next in the Ageing Well Public Talks Series where we discuss the relationships between nature and humans as we age

In this talk Yoseph will explore how Ecosystems provide us with various services, from the well-publicised provision and regulation of resources to the social and well-being benefits of ecosystem services as humans engage with nature. Gráinne will then focus on the benefits and challenges of keeping companion animals (pets) as we age. Keeping a pet has been shown to improve our heart health, reduce depression and help us make friends. What are the emotional, practical, and financial implications of pet ownership as we age and how can we enjoy the benefits of our companion animals for longer.

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The speakers

Dr Yoseph Araya is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology & Environmental Sciences within the Ecosystems and Biodiversity Research discipline at The Open University.

Dr Gráinne O’Connor is an independent researcher with thirty years of experience in the field of health and social care. Gráinne currently works as a consultant researcher for The Open University on the Ageing Well Public Talks Series. Other research interests include Human-Animal Interactions (HAI) in people living with long term health conditions or disability. Personal and professional experiences of working with both companion animals and working assistance dogs has given Gráinne insights into the ways the interactions humans have with animals can enrich our lives as we age.

About the series

The Ageing Well Public Talk (AWPT) series explores how important it is, over our lifespan, to maintain well-balanced nutrition and hydration as well as regular physical and social activity in older age, also known as The Five Pillars of Ageing Well.

Ageing demonstrates most significantly when we reach a certain age, the usual benchmark being 65+, but ageing starts much sooner and the way ageing demonstrates when we are over 65 depends on decisions we make over our life span.

The AWPT series and related materials such as The Five Pillars of Ageing Well became the cornerstones of further engagement with the public, specifically around COVID-19 and the relating self-isolation, which are now available on the OU website and the Internet.

The overall aim of these series of interventions is to facilitate a step-change in user behaviour and support service provision. Self-management and becoming a partner in our own healthcare is an important aspect of these talks. This may have a wider impact on healthcare economies, as ageing and related co-morbidities have a substantial health and economic burden footprint.