Feel Great, At Any Age
Urban Well is a proactive health clinic focused on helping you navigate through the mountain of information available on the topic of how to live a healthy, happy life, long-term.
Each person’s journey to improving their health and wellbeing is going to be very different because each person’s priorities and goals will vary and change throughout their life.
So our question, when starting this clinic was how do we create a health model that is flexible enough to cater for each person’s individual needs and simplify the process of improving health, wellbeing and quality of life.
The rest of this page outlines some of the most significant research articles on what it takes to live a healthy and happy life, long term.
Healthy Ageing is for Everyone
According to the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study, our Healthy Life Expectancy – that is the number of years lived with good health – is the highest it’s been in Australia in 30 years. (2) However, this has not increased at the same rate as our Life Expectancy. That means that even though we are living longer, those years are underscored by increasingly poor health. (3)
We are living in a world where chronic health conditions dominate the reasons behind our years lived in poor health. However, we can make a difference now as there are significant modifiable risk factors and effective treatments that exist to reduce the consequences or prevent these health conditions.
An Ageing Mindset Shift
What is Healthy Ageing
Healthy ageing, as defined by the World Health Organisation, is the process of creating an environment and opportunities to maintain functional ability in your later years.
To maintain functional ability is to preserve your cognitive, physical and social function, to be able to continue to contribute to society, make decisions and meet your basic needs in order to remain independent.
The WHO’s overriding philosophy is that every person “can be and do what they value throughout their life” (WHO 2020).
Promoting Healthy Ageing
There is no ‘one-size’ fits all approach to health. Everyone is different, with varying goals, priorities and lifestyles.
We need to factor in the individual and all facets of life to take control of the process of healthy ageing.
Dr Frank Lin, Director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is a public health researcher; professor across multiple medical fields; head and neck surgeon and leader in the field of gerontology and the prevention of cognitive decline.
His initial research focused on a link between untreated hearing loss and a 200% increase in the risk of developing dementia. Lin’s research broadened over the years to look at the key actions we can take to promote healthy ageing and prevent cognitive decline.
Along with the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study, the Blue Zone research, and the 75 year long Harvard Grant and Glueck study, the Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission , summarised aspects of life that we focus on at Urban Well to promote longevity through body and brain health.
The Urban Health Circle:
- Avoid injury, and treat and manage current musculoskeletal health conditions
- Focus on a positive mood and manage mental health
- Keep socially engaged throughout our lives
- Maintain movement and physical activity
- Nurture your support network and strong connections with family and friends
- Engage in actions that promote cognitive health such as learning new things, treating hearing loss, and brain training.
References
· Age-Related Physiological Changes and Their Clinical Significance https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1273316/pdf/westjmed00220-0011.pdf
· Murray, C.J.L., et al (2020). Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and
territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease
Study 2019. The Lancet, 396(10258), pp.1223–1249. Available
at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30752-2/fulltex
· www.who.int. (n.d.). Ageing: Healthy ageing and functional ability. [online]
Available at: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/q-a-detail/ageing-healthy-ageing-and-functional-ability.
· Cartee, G.D., Hepple, R.T., Bamman, M.M. and Zierath, J.R. (2016). Exercise Promotes Healthy
Aging of Skeletal Muscle. Cell Metabolism, [online] 23(6),
pp.1034–1047. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5045036/.
· Lin, FR, Ferrucci, L. Metter E.J., An, Y., Zonderman, AB and Resnick, SM (2011). Hearing loss and cognition in Baltimore
Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Neurophyschology, 25 (6), pp 763
– 770.
· Lin, FR, Metter EJ, O’Brien, RJ, Resnick, SM, Zonderman, AB & Ferrucci L (2011), ‘Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia’, Archives of
Neurology, vol. 68, no. 2
· Livingston, G. et al (2017) Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care. The Lancet 390 (10113), pp. 2673 – 2734
· Poulain, M., Pes, G.M., Grasland, C., Carru, C., Ferrucci, L., Baggio, G., Franceschi, C. and Deiana, L. (2004). Identification of a
geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: the AKEA study. Experimental Gerontology, [online] 39(9), pp.1423–1429. Available at: https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00175541v2/document [Accessed
8 May 2020].
· Lin, F.R. and Albert, M. (2014). Hearing loss and dementia – who is listening? Aging
& Mental Health, 18(6), pp.671–673.
· Lin, F.R., Yaffe, K., Xia, J., Xue, Q.-L., Harris, T.B., Purchase-Helzner, E., Satterfield, S., Ayonayon, H.N., Ferrucci, L., Simonsick, E.M. and Health ABC Study Group, for the (2013). Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults. JAMA
Internal Medicine, 173(4), p.293.
· AudiologyOnline. (n.d.). Interview with Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD Frank Lin. [online] Available at:
https://www.audiologyonline.com/interviews/interview-with-dr-frank-lin-26035
[Accessed 10 Dec. 2020].