THE TEAM

QASP is an investigation led by a large group of people. Without these people, it would not be possible. Most of the team members have answered 4 questions to give insight into who they are. The answers, along with their names, roles and pictures, are shown below.

The Team: Text

TEAM MEMBERS

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M. JOÃO FORJAZ

Lead Investigator, WP 3 leader

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?
I am the leading investigator of the QASP project, which means I get to coordinate this wonderful team of researchers, and act as the contact point with the funding institution, the Institute of Health Carlos III.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

A long time ago, during my doctorate research! I defended my PhD dissertation in 2000, and in 2005, when I started working at the Institute of Health Carlos III, the focus of my research was on Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects mostly older adults. At that time, I also participated in a project about quality of life of community-dwelling older adults in the Madrid region, along with my colleagues from the CSIC.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.
A consistent finding is that age is not associated with quality of life once you control other factors such as comorbility or disability. So, even though older adults have a worse QoL than younger ones, it´s not because of their age, it´s because of other factors.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

Two things:

1) My hobby is knitting

2) I was born in Maputo, Mozambique.

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CARMEN RODRIGUEZ BLAZQUEZ

WP2 leader

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My contribution is leading the WP on SHARE analysis in Spain. I will coordinate the data analysis, but also work in the literature revision, the reports, publications and communications to congresses and meetings.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

A long time ago! I started my professional career working in intellectual disability, but when I arrived to the National Centre of Epidemiology in 2006, I met a nice multidisciplinary research group looking at Ageing and Quality of Life and began to collaborate with them.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

The fact that older people are happy and have a good quality of life in general, despite their circumstances.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I was born in the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz (more than 3000 years old!). When I get retired, I dream of living in a nice house by the sea!

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AMAIA CALDERON

Researcher

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

I am part of the research team of QASP. With a background in Pharmacy (BPharm) and Publich Health (MPH), I am currently employed as an Assistant Professor at the Ageing Research Center (ARC) of Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. In the context of QASP, I aim to share our experience on the study of the impact of social support, connections and participation on older people’s health using data from the Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care (SNAC-K). I also pursue to incorporate the Swedish perspective (i.e. south-north comparisons) to the transnational character of QASP.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

During my postdoctoral period within the multidisciplinary EpiChron Research Group on Chronic Diseases of the Aragon Health Sciences Institute (years 2012-2015), I worked on the epidemiology of multimorbidity and its impact on health systems and patients. Since my recruitment at ARC in August 2015, I have enlarged my research focus towards multidimensional and longitudinal health trajectories using SNAC-K data. My main interest is on the interplay between psychosocial and biological determinants of such trajectories.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

Rapidly developing multimorbidity is a negative prognostic factor for disability. However, sociodemographic factors such as sex and social network may determine older adults' reserves of functional ability, helping them to live independently despite the rapid accumulation of chronic conditions.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I am convinced of the relevance of social participation in old age. I have in fact taken steps in this direction by recently joining a Swedish choir so that I could carry out one of my favorite activities –singing– in the company of other people.

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FERMINA ROJO-PEREZ

Researcher

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My role is to support the specific analysis of older adult´s profile in relation to their active ageing, and to collaborate with researchers in the development of different tasks.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

From studies of human and urban geography, I started researching the ageing population several decades ago, within the Research Group on Aging (GIE, CSIC), and later we formed the group on Ageing and Quality of Life with colleagues from the ISCIII.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

I would be very interested to know the reasons for the deviation between the objective features of the Quality of Life in old age and the positive evaluations perceived by the elderly.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I would be very happy if the heavy bureaucratic burden inserted in our daily scientific task was minimized. We would have much more time for creativity purposes.

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MARISIL AGULLO

Researcher

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My role is “researcher, collaborator” or something similar. My contribution could be to provide, as appropriate, a psychological, sociological, gender and intergenerational perspective to some points of the project. In addition to giving a violet brushstroke (to follow a metaphor about this symbolic color of gender) to what is relevant, I contribute mainly to the topics on which I have worked and researched more: aging/old age, gender/feminism, methodology and evaluation, work/care/conciliation.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the aging population?

My interest began in the 90s, in my twenties. It increased with the completion of my doctoral studies and PhD thesis on seniors and activity/work, with a special emphasis on the positive face of ageing, in different roles and in older women.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

Quality of life has been increasing in the older population, however, comparing with men from the same country, older women from different countries are alike in so far that they have a lower quality of life than men (lower social participation, lower health level, worse social image… although this changes as they improve their socioeconomic status and other psychosocial aspects). However, their life expectancy (and contributions to daily life) is higher than that of the elderly men in almost all countries.

In addition, I would like to emphasize that research on aging on one hand, and studies with a gender perspective (and the feminist movement) on the other, already have a long history. But these roads have been parallel. In a humble attempt to contribute to this union of variables, they admitted and justified the publication of the monograph “Aging and Gender” (2018):

http://revistaprismasocial.es/issue/view/146

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

An emotional question (inspired by my admiration for the elders of my family, especially my maternal grandmother who died on the day of defense of my doctoral dissertation, 18/2/2000) peaked my interest in the subject when I was just 20 years old. This gradually lead me to do more research as I mentioned in the other questions. Additionally, I would like to return (when I retire at the latest) to where I was born, Cocentaina (Alicante), an area close to one of the “coasts preferred by the the Europeans as retirees seeking a higher quality of life and wellbeing at different levels”. I like pastry, photography and travelling. I have visited different countries, either for work, studies, or leisure, but every time I want to return to the Valencian community, where I usually live with my family, and relax with my Valencian family and friends.

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G FERNANDEZ-MAYORALAS

WP4 leader

Gloria Fernandez-Mayoralas

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

I am responsible for WP 4: Dissemination and applicability, and I also hope to contribute in providing results on health, participation and Quality of Life from a comparative perspective between Spain and Portugal.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

I started researching population ageing when I joined CSIC as a research scientist in 1989. At that time, Spain was evolving towards a context of demographic ageing, following the rest of European and other developed countries. I had done my PhD about Transport and I was very interested in vulnerable population accessibility; thus, I saw an opportunity to join GIE-CSIC and focus on the aspects related to health and access to services of older people.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

Researching on the security pillar to active ageing, I have found that older people defend their right to risk. I believe that society tend to infantilise the elderly, especially that older women, and we have to learn to respect their autonomy and control over their life as full citizens, if we want to age as active subjects.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I celebrated my 60th birthday this year (2019). My work excites me and I hope to conciliate it with my family life as long as possible, however, I do not want to age working, instead looking at the sea, if possible the Mediterranean, dancing, singing, and talking with my partner and friends.

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VICENTE RODRIGUEZ-RODRIGUEZ

Researcher

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

I am interested in participating in some aspects of the SHARE analysis for Spain (WP2), as well as WP4 (Dissemination). I am also interested in the literature review.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

As a member of the Research Group on Ageing, Spanish National Researchh Council, we started analysing ageing at the late eighties. Since then we have adjusted our view from a demographic perspective to another more social approach. Finally we have been developing an analysis of active ageing, social and environmental factors, health and quality of life

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

Better than a/some result/s, I think the more exciting issue of researching ageing is the constant discovery of outstanding facets which the ageing process offers to researchers.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

Even today I keep myself interested in doing research.

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OSCAR RIBEIRO

WP1 leader

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VICTOR QUIROS

Researcher

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SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

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ALBA AYALA

Statistician

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My contribution to the QASP project will be to prepare the databases of the SHARE project and apply cross-sectional and longitudinal statistics models in order to analyse the relationship between the quality of life and health & participation indicators.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

I started working in 2008 on a project on quality of life and ageing in the elderly in the National School of Public Health (ISCIII). Since then, my research has been mainly based on results related to the ageing population.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

In a recent study, we calculated the prevalence of the homebound in Spain. The study revealed that 24.1% of older people with a disability are homebound, of which 8.1% cannot move from their house, even with help. The homebound were mostly women with a higher mean age and a lower education level. They were also said to have more difficulty with environmental barriers, have worse perceived health, a greater number of disabilities, chronic health conditions, and more functional problems. In addition, there is a decrease in visits from family and friends and they cannot enjoy the advantages in living in a society.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I have a degree in Applied Statistics and a master's degree in Statistical-Computational Treatment of Information, from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. I have collaborated in the publication of more than thirty scientific articles and in two book chapters. I have worked as a statistical technician in several research projects on health in older adults and am member of the Spanish Research Group on Quality of Life and Ageing. I am currently working as a graduate in the National School of Public Health.

The Team: Text

LAETITIA TEIXEIRA

Statistician

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1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

As I am a statistician, my role in QASP is to contribute to the planning and statistical analysis of the different publications of the project.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the aging population?

I started doing research on the aging topic in 2009, when I was integrated at the UNIFAI (research unit devoted to ageing population).

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

All the specificities associated to the centenarians.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I was born in France and my parents live (and I used to live, 18 years ago) in one of the most beautiful place of Portugal: Douro valley.

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MARTA CIMAS

PhD student

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LIA ARAUJO

Researcher

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THE TEAM

TEAM MEMBERS

M. JOÃO FORJAZ

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?I am the leading investigator of the QASP project, which means I get to coordinate this wonderful team of researchers, and act as the contact point with the funding institution, the Institute of Health Carlos III.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

Two things:

1) My hobby is knitting

2) I was born in Maputo, Mozambique.

CARMEN RODRIGUEZ BLAZQUEZ

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My contribution is leading the WP on SHARE analysis in Spain. I will coordinate the data analysis, but also work in the literature revision, the reports, publications and communications to congresses and meetings.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

A long time ago! I started my professional career working in intellectual disability, but when I arrived to the National Centre of Epidemiology in 2006, I met a nice multidisciplinary research group looking at Ageing and Quality of Life and began to collaborate with them.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

The fact that older people are happy and have a good quality of life in general, despite their circumstances.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I was born in the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz (more than 3000 years old!). When I get retired, I dream of living in a nice house by the sea!

AMAIA CALDERON

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

Rapidly developing multimorbidity is a negative prognostic factor for disability. However, sociodemographic factors such as sex and social network may determine older adults' reserves of functional ability, helping them to live independently despite the rapid accumulation of chronic conditions.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I am convinced of the relevance of social participation in old age. I have in fact taken steps in this direction by recently joining a Swedish choir so that I could carry out one of my favorite activities –singing– in the company of other people.

FERMINA ROJO-PEREZ

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My role is to support the specific analysis of older adult´s profile in relation to their active ageing, and to collaborate with researchers in the development of different tasks.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

From studies of human and urban geography, I started researching the ageing population several decades ago, within the Research Group on Aging (GIE, CSIC), and later we formed the group on Ageing and Quality of Life with colleagues from the ISCIII.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

I would be very interested to know the reasons for the deviation between the objective features of the Quality of Life in old age and the positive evaluations perceived by the elderly.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I would be very happy if the heavy bureaucratic burden inserted in our daily scientific task was minimized. We would have much more time for creativity purposes.

MARISIL AGULLO

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

2. When and how did you start doing research with the aging population?

My interest began in the 90s, in my twenties. It increased with the completion of my doctoral studies and PhD thesis on seniors and activity/work, with a special emphasis on the positive face of ageing, in different roles and in older women.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

http://revistaprismasocial.es/issue/view/146

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

G FERNANDEZ-MAYORALAS

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

I am responsible for WP 4: Dissemination and applicability, and I also hope to contribute in providing results on health, participation and Quality of Life from a comparative perspective between Spain and Portugal.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I celebrated my 60th birthday this year (2019). My work excites me and I hope to conciliate it with my family life as long as possible, however, I do not want to age working, instead looking at the sea, if possible the Mediterranean, dancing, singing, and talking with my partner and friends.

VICENTE RODRIGUEZ-RODRIGUEZ

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

I am interested in participating in some aspects of the SHARE analysis for Spain (WP2), as well as WP4 (Dissemination). I am also interested in the literature review.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

Better than a/some result/s, I think the more exciting issue of researching ageing is the constant discovery of outstanding facets which the ageing process offers to researchers.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.​

Even today I keep myself interested in doing research.

OSCAR RIBEIRO

VICTOR QUIROS

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

ALBA AYALA

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

My contribution to the QASP project will be to prepare the databases of the SHARE project and apply cross-sectional and longitudinal statistics models in order to analyse the relationship between the quality of life and health & participation indicators.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the ageing population?

I started working in 2008 on a project on quality of life and ageing in the elderly in the National School of Public Health (ISCIII). Since then, my research has been mainly based on results related to the ageing population.

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the ageing population.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

LAETITIA TEIXEIRA

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?

As I am a statistician, my role in QASP is to contribute to the planning and statistical analysis of the different publications of the project.

2. When and how did you start doing research with the aging population?

I started doing research on the aging topic in 2009, when I was integrated at the UNIFAI (research unit devoted to ageing population).

3. Tell us something curious that you found in your research on the aging population.

All the specificities associated to the centenarians.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I was born in France and my parents live (and I used to live, 18 years ago) in one of the most beautiful place of Portugal: Douro valley.

MARTA CIMAS

LIA ARAUJO

1. What is your role and contribution to QASP?
I am the leading investigator of the QASP project, which means I get to coordinate this wonderful team of researchers, and act as the contact point with the funding institution, the Institute of Health Carlos III.

4. Tell us an interesting fact about you.