LIVE LONGER BETTER
Living longer is a very complex process but the scientific knowledge is now that the normal biological process of ageing is not the main cause of major problems till the late 90s, although you need a bit of luck to avoid the diseases such as Parkinson’s that we cannot prevent or delay. There is now much clearer understanding of the relationship between an individual’s genetic inheritance and their social and physical environment with the latter being much more important than the former so don’t worry about the age your parents or grandparents died or what they died of
Live Longer Better is a new approach developed by the NHS to give people the knowledge and support not only to live longer but to live well for longer, minimising that period at the end of life when one is dependent on other people for even the most basic of tasks. Obviously the NHS cannot do it on its own. Every other government service has a part to play and so too do communities , both national, like AgeUK and local like faith organisations - churches, mosques and synagogues - and local clubs and societies
WHAT IS HAPPENING AS I LIVE LONGER?
the science is now clear that the normal biological process of ageing is not by itself a major cause of problems until the late 90s; and the late Queen was an excellent example of that principle as of course is David Attenborough. Ageing does have two effects. One is a decrease in the maximum level of ability, the maximum heart output for example so athletic records decrease over time, although the record time for men aged 80 to cycle 25 miles is still under one hour. The second effect is a loss of resilience, the ability to respond to a challenge such as a trip or a change in temperature or a period of inactivity, which means that people should do more minutes of exercise rather than less the longer they live.
There are three processes other than ageing that are much more important causes of the problems that occur more frequently as people live longer,
*Loss of fitness, both physical and mental
*Disease, much of which is preventable being caused not by genetics but by risks such as the modern diet and inactivity, and the disability that results from disease is usually complicated by accelerated loss of fitness
*Social factors which affect wellbeing, notably not having enough money for heating and housing, and the impact of negative beliefs about what older people can do and pessimistic attitudes towards older people - ageism
So we now know that ‘ageing’, namely the normal biological process is not the main cause of the major problems that occur as we live longer and therefore that many of these problems can be delayed, prevented or reversed. More information about what is happening to us is on the website How to Live Longer Better
WE OFFER THE KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIVING LONGER BETTER
Obviously the NHS is there for support you and so too are the Local Authorities which provide social, housing, library and other services. So too are local businesses like gyms and pubs but what is now increasingly recognised is that ‘the community’, organisations of people in your Neighbourhood, or of people facing the same challenge in an group on the Internet, which play a vitally important part in enabling you to live longer better. In every part of the country churches, mosques and other faith organisations play a very important part and AgeUK local branches have a wide range of support services many provided by volunteers. What is also clear now is that playing an active part in a support organisation not only helps other people but is beneficial for the volunteer, giving them a sense of wellbeing and reducing the risk of dementia
The Live Longer Better Programme was launched buy the NHS in 2025 and is designed not only to provide best current knowledge but to ensure that steps are taken for individuals and communities to adapt to the challenge of individual and population ageing. what happens is that the NHS is now using the information about your health and health problems and linking it to your address using a new technology called W:ISH to provide personalsied information about things you can do to lower your risk of disease or take action to tackle any conditions that may develop.
There is no drug that can slow the ageing provces but there is knowledge and one of the functions of Live Longer Better is to offer opportunities for learning
REGAIN LOST FITNESS AND GET EVEN FITTER, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY
Although the term fitness has images of young people in gyms or playing sport it is now recognised that fitness becomes even more important the longer you live . There are two aspects of fitness. The first your maximum level of ability for example to climb two flights of stairs without stopping, the other is your resilience, your ability to respond to a challenge such as a trip or stumble or indeed a period of inactivity such as a week in hospital. There are four dimensions of physical fitness
Strength and increasing strength is possible at any age for both women and men
Stamina with brisk walking being the easiest way of achieving this
Suppleness by a daily routine of stretching
Skill by stimulating the brain for example by walking on rough ground or dancing
All four are of vital and increasing importance and all four can be increased at any age and the W:ISH technology provides links to appropriate opportunities , to Health Walks or dance classes for example
The importance of physical fitness, and its social and mental benefits are clearly expressed in the report from the House of Commons Select Committee and increasing fitness reduces the risk of all the common long term health problems
Mental fitness can also be increased. Some mental functions do deteriorate with age , notably quick decision making and short term memory but forgetting the names of people or books is no an early sign of dementia Interestingly some types of mental fitness, notably the ability to cope with complex challenges get better the longer you live because you have more experience and Oscar Wilde said that experience is the name we give our mistakes. Mental fitness, or Brainability as it is sometimes called can be increased at any age, ideally by getting more involved with others and being challenged more and of course isolation resulting from disability or from hearing and vision problems does not make this easy. and increasing mental fitness is one means of reducing the risk of dementia . Mental fitness can be maintained increased in many ways including doing puzzles and learning a new skill but what is emerging from the research is that two types of activity are particularly effective
doing something creative, sometimes called getting involved with the Arts and which also includes any activity that is creative such as embroidery or carpentry
taking on a challenge suchas becoming a volunteer or getting more involved politically to create a better physical and social environment
REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DISEASE
The NHS offers immunisation against infectious diseases for people over 75 and there are many steps the individual can take notably
Get more active and regain and increase physical and mental fitness
Eat a diet low in ultra-processed chemicals and high in fruit and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet is a good step
Reduce weight if you need to
Improve sleep
Avoid isolation and keep involved with the community in which you live
The NHS Prevention website has lots of good information and so to has the website of the local Department of Public Health
Increasing mental fitness is also one way in which you can reduce your risk of dementia and there are other ways in which you can reduce the risk of dementia which is a key objective of the Live Longer Better programme
IF DISEASE DOES DEVELOP BECOME AN ACTIVE PARTNER IN FIGHTING IT
Most people in their 70s have at least one long term condition and the NHS is responsible for offering support but it is now clear that the most important influence in living well with a long term condition is not the NHS but you yourself/ it is what you do that is more important. Obviously taking any prescribed drugs regularly is important but so too is becoming more active physically and getting engaged with the relevant charity
FEEL BETTER AND MORE POSITIVE
Since 1948 it has been accepted that health is more than the absence of disease and the WHO definition emphasises also requires ‘physical, mental and social wellbeing’ and the NHS sometimes responds inappropriately for example by prescribing anti-depressants for people whose wellbeing could be improved in other ways
It is now recognised that many people have been taking their wellbeing problems , feeling depressed or anxious or alone, to the NHS which does not have the resources to alleviate the problem and that other options need to be offered either an activity that a person can start, preferably in a group with other people
Feeling positive is a benefit that results from starting a new physical activity, such as aiming to walk briskly 30 minutes a day, or joining a Pilates class but an even more positive feeling results from volunteering to contribute even more to your community, for example helping raise funds for the local boys or girls football club. It is now clear that helping others even more is one of the best things you can do for your own health
DON'T BE DEPRESSED OR PUT OFF BY AGEIST STATEMENTS
In general, it is assumed that all the problems of older people are due to the normal biological process of ageing and that nothing can be done about them but this is wrong. Some problems are obviously the result of external pressures, inability to heat one's home adequately because of low income, but the general pessimism and negativity that results from what is called ageism inhibits too many people from taking action. Almost everyone under-estimates what what older people can do and this needs to change
Older people have a key part to play in creating a better future both for themselves and others and one way is to fight ageism, and the campaign against ageism by the Centre for Ageing Better should be supported and implemented locally