A recent study by Nature Ageing has highlighted if we slow the aging process is not only good for our health but also for our economy.
The Nature Aging analysis explored the issue from a financial rather than a biomedical perspective. The economic value of increasing life expectancy, of improving health and of investing in treatments that target aging. They found that by slowing down aging to result in one extra year of life expectancy = $38 trillion. Boost that timeframe to 10 years, and they estimate that is worth a staggering $367 trillion.
Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past 150 years 1, although not all of the years gained are healthy. Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease dataset 2 suggests that the proportion of life in good health has remained broadly constant, implying increasing years in poor health. Furthermore, the disease burden is shifting towards chronic non-communicable diseases, estimated to have caused 72.3% of deaths in the United States in 2016. The result is “a substantial part of life, and certainly most deaths, now occur in a period in the lifespan when the risk for frailty and disability increases exponentially.”3 As a consequence, there is a growing emphasis on ‘healthy aging’ and an emerging body of research focusing on the biology of aging (see refs. 4,5). According to another paper, “this era marks an inflection point, not only in aging research but also for all biological research that affects the human healthspan.”6 ref Nature Ageing
The past 150 years, life expectancy has increased dramatically, those extra years are not all healthy as the study highlights.
WHISSeniors - Healthy Ageing with Purpose:
Pre-pandemic we highlighted these opportunities in partnership with a local NHS Trust in Cumbria, UK with the initiative of “Furness Wellness Days” by empowering people to manage their own health and wellbeing
‘Furness Wellness Days’ was based at Walney Cottage, Barrow-in-Furness and we brought the community together to promote health and wellbeing through a range of different activities.
The initiative was launched following conversations with members of the public who all explained that happiness improves their ability to manage their own illness within the community. Happiness is also directly affected by social isolation and that local people where feeling alone and that vulnerability leads to depression and a serious decline in physical health and wellbeing. Age UK reported that two fifths of older people say the television is their main source of company.
The more progress that is made in improving how we age, the greater joy we’ll have in our lives.
If we give people the tools (WHISKids, WHISatWork, WHISSeniors etc) to manage their own health and wellbeing we can ensure that we age well and that we enjoy the ageing process without chronic illness or disability” Gareth Presch, CEO, World Health Innovation Summit
#WHISSeniors #HealthforAll #HealthyAgeing #WHIS