Here in the Catalyst, the Helen McArdle atrium, is a wonderful
space where researchers, older people and businesses can all
get together and swap ideas. But more than that what it does
is honours an incredible philanthropic gift from one of
the University's greatest supporters.
And that's Mrs Helen McArdle CBE. Now she's
the entrepreneur who set up a whole list of very successful
care homes, which means that she's had first hand experience
of exactly what the challenges are as we get older and perhaps
when we're affected by ill health.
But more than that what her support and gift means is that
the University can continue to be one of the world leaders in
research when it comes to addressing priorities for
old age. Helen is with me and Helen I heard you giggling just
now because you were in the Drive Lab sat at the wheel of
the car. How did you get on?
Not very well I have to say
I think my son said actually it’s how I would drive normally.
But it was amazing, absolutely amazing experience. I've had a
little bit of some experience in the Tesla, my husband has in
America. But I don't quite like that, I prefer to be in control
but for someone who needs this, it's amazing.
Yeah but I mean that's only one part of the laboratory here
because we got the Gait Lab as well as the Drive Lab and I
know you've seen the work in both areas. What do you make of
what they're doing here?
I'm so excited. I think it's absolutely wonderful. The fact
that we're actually spending time and energy on the elderly
I think is amazing because often one could say,
it’s a poor relation in a way but I'm so passionate about the elderly.
It's been a big part of my life for so long. No I think it's
absolutely amazing. Clearly it has been but I mean,
the work that you've done has that led you to think that
perhaps we are an ageing population more and more people
are getting their telegram from the queen every year because, you know,
more and more people are getting to 100.
Have you felt in the work that you've done that perhaps the
ageing population is one that's been largely ignored and
underrepresented when it comes to technology, to new advances
and that this is now an opportunity to put that right?
Well I think that's right yes. But when you remember 30
years ago. So when I started caring for the elderly the
people who were coming into my care homes were about 60 or so,
especially in the mining communities around here where
they'd had a very very hard life. And some of them
just wanted to be looked after. But technology has moved so
quickly in the last 20 years or so. It's now nice to be able
to see that we are thinking of the elderly and how we can
improve things for them.
And it's more than that in a way isn't it because when you
think about it, all and … I mean …
take all of the people that we know ourselves in our
community who are 60 or 70 plus, they have years of experience,
years of knowledge, years of expertise that they can bring.
Did you feel it’s being wasted and that is a terribly
wasted resource?
Well maybe it has been wasted. But I think, now in my era I've
travelled a lot more than people had maybe 20 or
30 years ago. So my lifestyle has been very, different. And I
think, when I think back, in the care homes especially with
Alzheimer’s, everyone was focusing on the war years and
things that's long gone now. You need to get back into the
real world of travel and things like that. So I think I've just
been, what I've seen over the years is how,
the many conditions that have affected the elderly and the
families and the impact that it has had on individuals’ families
and carers.
Yes, because, I see you know all all of that expertise has been going
to waste as well but also perhaps people haven't thought
as carefully about how we might look after our
ageing population.
No, I don't think they have.
What would you like to see them doing,
that would make it so much better?
It's hard to say really because
I'm not quite sure about that Angela. I think that
Each individual is an individual and depends on their
their life, their expectancy - have they got families around them.
Some people are just lonely - yes - others have a lot
of family and I've noticed when I've been in Spain and some of
the European countries. If you're in hospital they're, all
the families come in and look after you. But now a lot of
families here are working as well. They don't have the
time to be able to devote to family. So, I think more centred
around individual needs.
We do have to think more seriously about what we do with
our elderly population, not losing all those as you have
entrepreneurial skills that perhaps they bring to old age.
Oh, absolutely.
When you go to, I travel to Florida quite a lot
And I’m amazed there; people in their 80s are still diving in the
Red Sea and they're all, most of the ones I meet who all are
actively involved in volunteering doing things like
that and still very interesting.
But I think that the work that you've done in care homes as
you see that's highlighted the way in which people's needs
perhaps have not always been met as we've got older.
And that's something that we do have to think about now because
if somebody retires in their 60s, their 70s and they live
until they're in their 80s their 90s or even to 100.
It's it's almost a third of their lives that we now have to
accommodate isn't it.
That's right. I didn't think about that. It is. But I suppose that
people are more independent now and they would go into care
facilities as we know them much later. I think you know
when you compare, because I did research in Florida
prior to to build in some of the care homes here and they
have different
issues there, people are going into care homes or nursing
homes there and they might be 70 driving in.
Unfortunately for us here we were finding that the vast
majority people coming into care were people who needed a
lot of intensive caring and couldn't always enjoy the
facilities that you were hoping that they would be able to.
So it was more like an extension of the hospital.
I mean let's face it if you've been a very successful
entrepreneur, very successful businesswoman you could have
put your money anywhere. Why did you put it into
Newcastle University and this particular area of work?
Well I think I wanted to give back to the community and the
things that I thought about were things that would benefit
the staff who worked for me so obvious things were like, cancer and
Maggie’s and things that affected them. But I've been so
passionate about the elderly and I’m growing old myself and I
want to live a lot longer.
It's an insurance policy.
Absolutely it is an
insurance policy.
But I get pleasure out of seeing how
we are helping the elderly and how it is improving
their lives. Newcastle obviously because I
live here.
What do you think about the work that they do here. Are you
inspired by it?
Oh it's fantastic, absolutely. It's exciting and really to
think that really it's undoubtedly going to change
ageing for the future isn't it. No it's absolutely exciting.
I mean are you surprised by the things that you've seen, things
that you didn’t, I mean for instance you were trying out
the car, you've seen the Gait Lab here working. Are you
surprised by the kinds of things that they're doing
and discovering?
Absolutely. But I can't wait to tell people
about it, I can't wait to bring them along and say, “come along
and have a look in and see what's happening.”
It must be so proud that the building has your name and the
work that's being done in it?
Oh I am really proud and it's interesting; one of my
architects who built a lot of the care homes with me, rang me up
recently to say I see Angela Rippon is giving a lecture
there the University and whatever and you’re there. I'm coming
home to have a look at it. So he's actually come in
tonight and I'm delighted to be able to walk around and see
what he thinks.
Yes. You're out of the business now. Do you miss it?
Oh yes. Oh yes. I had to think long and hard
about it. It was a big part of my life. I always used to say I
had my friends, my family
my friends and my business. And that was my life, a very
small circle of friends but my friends were the people who
worked for me as well. And I, it was like a family to me like an
extended family. Everyone knew they had to, if there was an
issue with the families that it was always cascaded up to me and
we looked after each other. I was a hard taskmaster but I
think they got a lot back from me in the end and everyone
seemed to take a pride in the name and what we did.
I loved it. Yes I miss it.
Well the building has got the atrium has got your name on it.
Helen McArdle and the work that's done inside the Catalyst
here is very much attached to this building.
So you're going to be coming and keeping an eye on it?
Oh I will be. Trust me. Yes I will be.
Yes. No, I'm delighted with it. It's wonderful.
Thank you.
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