Dr Thuy-vy Nguyen, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, tells us all about the new series of events taking place in County Durham and how members of the community can get involved.
I have often thought that if I wasn’t an academic and doing the job that I’m doing now, I’d probably be something like an event planner. I enjoy creating activities and bringing people together.
I have a few experiences under my belt. When I was in elementary school in Vietnam I was the ‘go-to’ Master of Ceremonies for every family’s gathering. I even spearheaded a few mini musicals with my sisters and cousins. At university, I organised an international festival with a fashion show featuring different countries’ traditional outfits. So now, in my job as an academic at Durham University, in which I need to recruit older participants for my research study, I immediately thought: “Why not organise an event that can bring researchers and adults age 65+ together and have a good time?”
My research looks at how older adults engage in daily activities, teasing apart the time that they spend alone and with others, and frequency of sitting down or moving around. This data will help us understand better the day in a life of someone who has retired, to see how they take part in activities and spend time at home. This will help us build an intervention to improve older adults’ wellbeing through adjusting their daily routines during transition to retirement.
We’re all asking research questions aimed at helping older people maintain an active and healthy life or cope with health conditions that may arise in older ages. So, with multiple scientists sharing the same goal, what better opportunity to combine effort and organise an event for 65+ adults to come and enjoy some refreshments, ask us questions, and share their thoughts while participating in research studies?
And that is the passion behind Older Adults Supporting Science. We set up tables at Shakespeare Hall on Mondays fortnightly from 10 am to 1 pm. The next two dates are 6 and 20 November.
This is the first year we’re running these events, and we hope its success will inspire future events where the community and the University join forces to bring science-based activities to the older residents of Durham County.
Find out more
Sign up to join us at one of our November events on Eventbrite.
Explore more from the Department of Psychology.
Read top tips for spending time in solitude.