Sir Muir Gray will be joining the meeting to discuss his work on Healthy and Productive Ageing.
Minutes:
Cllr Ian Hudspeth welcomed Sir Muir Gray CBE, Optimal Ageing, to the meeting and invited him to introduce his presentation on LIVE LONGER BETTER.
In his presentation Sir Muir set out;
· His diagnosis of the ageing challenge facing society, which he summarised as: a future increase in the number of older people (in particular a doubling of the number of people aged over eighty in the next fifteen years); the implications of this for both local authorities and the NHS; and the absence of a similar increase in the numbers of young people employed in health and social care facilities. Sir Muir asserted that this creates both absolute and relative population ageing.
· The improved understanding of ageing, including recognition that problems previously assumed to be due to ageing are now known to be attributable to three other processes :
o loss of fitness, usually starting from the early twenties and including mental fitness as well as physical fitness;
o disease, much of it preventable, including dementia and frailty, and often complicated by accelerated loss of fitness.
o wrong beliefs and attitudes.
· The impact of COVID-19 in heightening some of aforementioned challenges, particularly those linked to increased inactivity and isolation.
· Why the key to tackling isolation and inactivity must not simply be to provide ‘more of the same’, but to change the culture and societal mindset associated with ageing to help reduce the need for traditional social care by improving physical, cognitive and emotional activity.
Members made general comments about the importance and helpfulness of Sir Muir’s presentation, particularly in highlighting the need for developing local communities that are geared towards, and support, positive ageing. This helped frame the debate in terms of building resilient communities in which different networks (eg social care, primary care, acute sector, voluntary sector) linked appropriately to provide the means for improving physical, cognitive and social wellbeing. Members made the following specific comments:
· A view was expressed that the effects of the current pandemic on vulnerable people encouraged them to stay at home, thereby reducing physical outdoor exercise. Sir Muir responded that vulnerable people can, and should, still be doing physical exercise at home and that emotional stimulation helps motivate people to continue exercising.
· That a notable part of the response to the current pandemic has been high numbers of people volunteering to provide appropriate support and assistance, and that this needs to be harnessed for the future. Sir Muir responded that altruistic volunteering can have huge benefits for people’s health and wellbeing. He added that maybe consideration should be given to giving the elderly objectives such as volunteering to help protect the environment or starting a business.
· A concern was raised that where councils were trying to reduce the use of care homes so elderly people could remain at home, thus could be difficult to achieve because acute hospitals discharged people to care homes as their first reaction, so there needed to be a change in the culture of the NHS. Sir Muir agreed there needed to be a change in approach given the loss of condition people experienced in hospital, and there needed to be a greater focus on prevention.
· A concern was raised that engagement and involvement in community or social networks is a struggle, particularly during the current pandemic, for those residents who do not have the internet and who are therefore unable to access materials online. Sir Muir responded that a specific focus was needed on deprived communities without technology and access to the internet. He added that age distribution shows rural areas are highly populated by older people and there is a challenge around deprivation in both rural and urban areas.
· Personal trainers often focussed on services for young people and there was a need to look at gentler exercise classes for older adults. More affordable services and physical activities need to be introduced, encouraging social interaction and physical activity. Sir Muir responded that “wellness” centres, rather than leisure centres, needed to be provided and this would need more leadership and funding from local authorities.
· Government advice on shielding of vulnerable people had resulted in some people being worried to leave their home and go out into the community. There was a task to help people feel confident about going out and decrease anxiety levels. Sir Muir responded that an unfortunate consequence of taking steps to minimise risk of infection has been, in some cases, a reduction in the physical activity and resilience of some older people. He said any approach must be about the relative balance of of risks and that people generally underestimate the risks associated with inactivity.
· Care homes are unaffordable for many and the crisis has proved they are not the safe places they should be. Sir Muir said that the health and social care system should therefore be moving away from the traditional care home model.
· Levels of anxiety and depression during lockdown had increased due to people missing human contact and social communication. Sir Muir responded that isolation, depression and anxiety were a major risk factor for dementia, in addition to sleep, diet and other health conditions.
Sir Muir thanked the Board for the opportunity to present and offered to run similar presentations for Members who thought this would be beneficial for their council and council colleagues. The Chairman thanked Sir Muir for his stimulating presentation and for taking the time to address the Board.
Decision
Members of the Community Wellbeing Board noted the presentation.