Improvements in health care during the 20th century, as well as in living conditions and quality of life, have led to a dramatic increase in life expectancy, among other things. This, together with the drastic drop in the birth rate, is leading to an ageing population. As a result, the elderly population segments are the fastest growing, and something that is becoming an indisputable reality is that we are heading towards an ageing population. This is why it seems necessary to discuss what kind of problems and challenges are faced by the elderly and what are their solutions.
In this way, we present a research group, focused on the analysis of cognitive and emotional aspects as well as on the intervention and development of the elderly, being able to distinguish two main lines of work, one focused on the aspects of so-called normal ageing and another line oriented towards aspects related to the cognitive pathologies associated with ageing, mainly mild cognitive impairment, dementia of the Alzheimer's type and other dementias and Parkinson's disease.
The first of the lines aims to analyse the basic processes of psychological ageing by studying aspects related to cognitive development such as cognitive reserve and brain plasticity, and in the social area, the type of relationships established in ageing and the changes and evolution of these relationships. Finally, in relation to emotions, the aim is to analyse the importance of emotion regulation as a basis for behavioural development and correct adaptation.
The second line, under an experimental methodology, is applying assessment systems for the detection of possible cognitive changes, as well as possible deterioration, by means of cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. In addition, this line offers novel cognitive interventions based on cognitive stimulation, reminiscence therapy and the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). As a result of the verification of the efficacy of these interventions, various contracts have been signed with companies for the application of the same in patients with varying degrees of deterioration.
The research group participates in various master's degrees in the Faculty of Psychology and in the area of Health Sciences. The team's greatest participation is in the master's degree in Psychogerontology, where subjects related to cognitive ageing are taught, both in the normal population and in the elderly with dementia, as well as subjects related to social intervention. In addition, there is an important participation in the direction of Master's final projects. It also participates in the University Masters in General Health Psychology and in Psychological Intervention in Social Areas.
In relation to doctoral studies, the research team is fully integrated in the PhD in Psychogerontology: Life Cycle Perspective, where the line of Development and Optimal Ageing and Cognition is directed, from which there is an important production of doctoral theses.
Investigate with a methodological approach of routines and capabilities the relationships between the implementation of quality management, innovation and learning in organisations, with special attention to the capacity for organisational ambidexterity, which is fundamental for the organisation to achieve good results in the long term. The mediating and/or moderating effect of certain variables on these relationships is analysed in depth. This is mainly formalisation, which is inherent to quality management programmes, especially with regard to the establishment of procedures, and the values of the organisational culture, which are an essential pillar for the successful implementation of these programmes.
Two sectors are currently being analysed, one industrial, the organic agro-food industry, and one service, the health services sector. The organic agri-food industry sector has been chosen for several reasons: Firstly, these companies are forced to implement quality management systems to meet the standards demanded by consumers of these products, which are at a high price range; and they are also subject to strong regulations to ensure adequate levels of quality and food safety. Moreover, the growth potential of this sector is very high, as it has already experienced strong growth in Spain in recent years, and strong growth in domestic demand and foreign markets is expected in the coming years. The second sector analysed is public hospitals.
Among the priority objectives of public healthcare institutions are the efficient use of resources and the optimisation of service quality, both in terms of improving the satisfaction of stakeholders (users, staff, environmental groups) and the effectiveness of the healthcare process itself. Precisely, process management, within the framework of quality management, with the application of its multiple methodologies, has proven to be effective in generating very substantial increases in efficiency in the use of resources and in the quality of service in these organisations. The practical application to the hospital sector derived from this research is to improve the processes of these organisations, optimally adjusting human, organisational, technological and infrastructural factors, and substantially reducing the costs arising from inefficiency.
