Mary Gilhooly

Profile

Prior to taking up her post as Professor of Gerontology in the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Mary Gilhooly, a psychologist by training, was Head of Gerontology Research for HealthQWest, a research consortium based at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has held posts at the Universities of Plymouth, Paisley, Glasgow Medical School, Southern California, and Aberdeen, as well as with the MRC Medical Sociology Unit.

Committee responsibilities

Deputy Head of School - Research

Research interests

Prof Gilhooly's research concerns issues surrounding ageing and older adults, and has covered topics as varied as petitioning the House of Lords on the subject of 'living wills' to research on the effects of playing chess and doing crosswords on cognitive ability in old age. Prof Gilhooly conducted one of the first studies in the UK on family care of people with dementia. Research funded by the ESRC includes studies on (a) transport and ageing, and (b) quality of life and real life cognitive functioning. More recently Professor Gilhooly has turned her attention to whether or not alcoholic consumption amongst baby boomers will be a threat to healthy ageing.

Her many years of experience of research in the fields of dementia, health psychology and medical sociology, and medical law and ethics led to her heading up a number of Britain's leading centres in the field, including Co-Directorship of the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Prof Gilhooly established Scotland's first centre of social gerontology at the University of Paisley in 1994.

Research centres

• Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies (BIAS)

Membership and affiliation

Prof Gilhooly was President of the British Society of Gerontology from 2000-2004. Recognition of her contribution to the social sciences, and gerontology in particular, led to her election in 2006 as an Academician in The Academy for the Social Sciences.

Other external activities

Prof Gilhooly has also been active in the public sphere, representing the social sciences on the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Division and West Glasgow Ethics Committee. She and has made contributions to work on ageism with committees such as the Chief Medical Officer's Expert Group on Healthcare of Elderly People and sat on the Foresight Panel, Design for Living. International work includes membership of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the new Turkish Applied and Social Gerontology Association.

Publications

Journal Papers

(Forthcoming) Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, K., Gilhooly, MLM. and Cairns, D., Detection and prevention of financial abuse against elders, Journal of Financial Crime 20 (4)

(2013) Gilhooly, M., Cairns, D., Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, K. and Notley, E., Framing the detection of elder financial abuse as professional bystander intervention: Decision cuse, pathways to detection and barriers to action, The Journal of Adult Protection 15 (2)

(2012) Bichard, J., van den Heuvel, E., Gilhooly, M., Parker, SG., Long, A., Ratcliffe, N., McKee, K. and Gaydecki, P., Tackling ageing continence through theory, tools & technology, The International Journal of Aging in Society 1 (2) : 83- 96

(2011) Davies, M., Harries, P., Cairns, D., Stanley, D., Gilhooly, M., Gilhooly, K., Notley, E., Gilbert, A., Penhale, B. and Hennessy, C., Factors used in the detection of elder financial abuse: A judgement and decision-making study of social workers and their managers, International Social Work 54 (3) : 404- 420

Book Chapters

(Forthcoming) Eccles, A., Damodaran, L., Olpher, C W., Hardill, I. and Gilhooly, M., Assistive technologies: Ethical practice, ethical research and quality of life.. In: Sixsmith, A. and Gutman, G. eds. Technology for Active Ageing. Springer