We’re Living Longer, But We’re Not Healthier For Longer

The title of this article is from the words of economist Andrew J. Scott, professor of economics at London Business School, cofounder of the Longevity Forum, co-author of The 100-Year Life, and his latest book, The Longevity Imperative: How to Build a Healthier and More Productive Society to Support Our Longer Lives (Basic Books, April 2024).

Scott talks about “healthy longevity” as living healthier and longer, and of making sure we’re productive and engaged for longer. He believes we have “medicalised old age; we see it only as a form of decline,” and as something we think we can deal with as we get older.

By speaking of longevity rather than aging, he hopes we will consider our health at an early stage, because the “the earlier you start, the better,” and the longer you are likely to live. He argues that rather than considering our chronological age, we should consider our biological age, which indicates how many years we have ahead of us and how we want to live and experience them. And “If we’re going to age well, we really need to make sure our biological age stays as young as possible, for longer.” He says,

“If you think individually and collectively, few things are going to be as important for our future as how we each age. It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? But how we age is not a simple thing. It depends on lots of different factors. It’s going to depend on the products that I purchase. It’s going to depend on what my employer does. It’s going to depend on the environment, my community, and social norms. It straddles so many different areas. I think whether it’s individuals, communities, or governments, we’ve got to really focus on how we support these now-longer lives. That is going to require a lot of very technocratic changes about the economy, the financial sector, and health systems. But above all, it’s really a personal thing. We know that people who live longer are those who have a sense of purpose, a sense of community, and a sense of engagement. So adapting to longer lives is, in some sense, the ultimate collaborative activity.”

The ultimate point here, he says, “is that we’ve got to change how we age so we don’t outlive our health, our wealth, our finances, our skills, our relationships. If we’re going to change how we age, then at whatever your age, you should be behaving differently from past generations.”

He also argues we should see aging as an opportunity, not a problem. We should think of it as “evergreen society or the evergreen economy.” His argument is that those who ask themselves, “what are the things I can do at 30, 40, 50, 60 to help me keep my health, keep my purpose, keep my sense of engagement” will spend a fortune, “and that’s a huge opportunity—it’s the leisure industry, it’s the food and beverage industry, it’s about education and financial services, as well as, of course, health products.” “It’s an enormous market opportunity.”

Scott also notes, there is a belief hardwired into the concept of an aging society that fundamentally misunderstands the “enormous potential market with an ever-growing number of people who tend to have more money than younger people. So I think there’s a huge product opportunity because we’re going into a deep period of social change, and firms are the distribution arm of social change.”

MY OPINION

The work the Enlightened Enterprise Academy includes programmes on Critical Systems Thinking and Practice related to the “Future of Health.” Also the title of our soon to be launched Special Interest Group. (Details: [email protected]) For these reasons what Scott says is of particular interest.

To me, longevity should primarily be seen as an opportunity for individuals, not as “an enormous potential market,” though it is also that. But we must not be wilfully blind to the fact it is also going to be hugely problematic, because though the issues are going to have to deal with are well known we are not yet prepared to deal with them as individuals, organisations or societies.

The pressures on our health systems are already great, but are nothing compared to the pressures that are coming. And our care systems are even less well prepared. In most countries care is primarily provided by unpaid carers – usually family and friends, often including children and young adults. In the UK alone there are over 7 million carers and they contribute ￡162 billion per year to the UK economy for example (Source: Petrillo and Bennett, 2023).

Being a carer also comes at a price to carers themselves. Research shows that in the UK, 40% of carers are forced out of paid employment because of their caring role and another 23% have to reduce their working hours. This pushes many into poverty. There has also been “a huge increase in numbers caring for more than 50 hours per week, plus the increase in the numbers caring for more than one person and for complex conditions, is pushing many to the edge,” says Kirsty McHugh, CEO of Carers Trust. That has impacts on the physical and mental health of carers and their quality of life, and those impacts are long-lasting. We must start caring for carers as part of the solution therefore.

This is one example among many of the impact of the aging population. It is hard to see, understand, and be prepared to address all the potential impacts, both positive or negative, of an aging society. They are political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental. They are complex, interrelated and, often, interdependent / entangled. And few politicians, policy makers and institutional leaders have the systems thinking capabilities needed to address the challenges or realise the opportunities.

Potentially, new technologies will help us understand and address the challenges and realise the opportunities. But only if they are designed to do so by people with the necessary systems thinking capabilities. Without such capabilities, new technologies may increase risks, add to our problems, and leave opportunities unrealised.

Umio

As an advisor to Umio - a technology company that has created an app and platform to help liberate people from conditions that impair their lives and leave them feeling their lives are “stuck” - I am directly engaged in trying to live better and healthier lives, not just longer lives. II understand the arguments Scott makes. I agree with him when he says whether it’s individuals, communities, or governments, we’ve got to really focus on how we support these now-longer lives. And that, “adapting to longer lives is, in some sense, the ultimate collaborative activity.”

Though Scott emphasises the enormous potential market opportunity, it is clear that he recognises the market alone can not be depended on to address the issues. He sees that we need a multi-sector approach to this "ultimate collaborative activity". And, given “we know that people who live longer are those who have a sense of purpose, a sense of community, and a sense of engagement,” individuals must be directly engaged in the co-creation of the solutions to problems and the ways of realising opportunities. This last point is at the heart of what Umio is about as it empowers and liberates the individual. It gives them more agency and control regardless of their condition, their circumstances, and their age. It will be one of the ways of helping people live healthier lives, not just longer lives.

CONTACT

To find our more about The Enlightened enterprise Academy, Our working with Critical Systems Thinking and Practice, or about Umio [email protected]