Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: How can we live longer, healthier lives?
Supporting people to age well
I am back from Lib Dem Conference, although with it being in Brighton, it was not exactly a long journey home.
One highlight for me was proposing a motion on Supporting People to Age Well. I have been the Party’s Spokesperson on Care and Carers for two years, and during that time, I’ve spoken to lots of people who are carers themselves, need care, or work for organisations pushing to make services for older people better than they currently are. One thing that comes through again and again is that people want to stay independent for as long as they can, in their own homes and communities.
Too often, however, the system waits until someone reaches crisis point before stepping in. Our motion puts much more emphasis on prevention. Things like better continuity of care through a named GP, regular health checks for people with frailty or multiple conditions, better falls prevention and community frailty teams that can help people leave hospital safely and get the support they need at home.
Importantly, it recognises that you cannot fix social care without supporting the millions of unpaid carers who make the system work every day. I was pleased to bring these ideas to Conference because ageing should not mean losing your independence, and with the right support, there is so much we can do to help people remain well, active and connected to their communities.
Lifespan versus healthspan
How we age, and when we age is a really interesting subject. I listened to this episode of the Past, Present, Future podcast mid week. The conversation about how long medical advances might enable us to live was eye opening, but with it goes the question of whether the years we live free from disability and illness increase in lockstep. These healthy years that we can expect are referred to as our ‘healthspan’.
As The Guardian reported, in the UK, analysis by the Health Foundation earlier this year revealed that our healthspan is falling. The UK is an outlier compared to most other similar economies where it is modestly increasing. We ought to be really concerned that more people are developing long term sickness earlier in their lives, preventing them not only from enjoying their retirement, but even being able to work in their fifties.
To avoid leaving this on a totally depressing note, it is worth saying that the drivers of our healthspan are only partly dictated by genetics, and there are choices we can make at any stage of life to help increase our healthspan. Harvard Medical School explains more.
Finally, congratulations to Woodlands Meed
Who won the Future Talent Skills Champion award for their Supported Internship Programme at the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association Awards on Thursday night. It was a great evening at the stunning Pangdene Old Barn.
Getting in touch
My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Alison
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