It’s not going away!

This week I attended the first in a series of seminars under the title “Just Ageing” (http://justageing.equalityhumanrights.com/) which is being organised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the new charity formed from the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. The first seminar looked at our assumptions about the process of ageing itself during which Professor Tom Kirkwood, Director of The Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University, gave a fascinating talk on the physiological and social experience of ageing.

I can’t really do justice here to his exposition which in itself was a huge summarisation of the work being undertaken. However, the message coming through loud and clear is that human beings are not per se programmed to die at any particular time – indeed the survival instinct in us is strong right to the end. So, under the right circumstances, increasing life expectancy can be expected to continue and we should celebrate old age, not see it as form of disability or inconvenience. What does happen is that imperfections in us and breakdowns in our ability to function bring on the end of our lives and if these can be eliminated or minimised then our life spans can be increased. Furthermore, many of the causes of this are “malleable” – things such as diet, housing, education, exercise, negative stress – as evidenced by differing life expectancies in different environments even within the same country.

This was the third seminar, organised by varying bodies, that I had attended in the space of a week each focusing on a differing aspect of ageing. There is much excellent work taking place and it is clear that the momentum is increasing. However, to date, government seems to concentrate only on the short term without a real “statesmanlike” approach to the longer term questions, employers (with a few exceptions) seem concerned only with damage limitation and containment of costs, and amongst the population at large there is a massive lack of awareness of the issues involved.

When will all this be pulled together?

Dumb, depressed and drunk?

An interesting piece of research floated past the radar this morning. Apparently a recent University of Michigan study of several thousand “seniors” found that those in the US performed significantly better than their counterparts in England on standard tests of memory and cognitive function. The study is the first known international comparison of cognitive function in nationally representative samples of older adults in the United States and England. It revealed that the overall difference in cognitive performance between the two countries was quite large – approaching the magnitude associated with about 10 years of ageing. In other words, the cognitive performance of 75-year-olds in the U.S. was as good, on average, as that of 65-year-olds in England.

The reasons why this may be are numerous and require further investigation. However the indicators are that a number of factors may play a part: First, higher levels of education and net worth in the United States accounted for some of the better cognitive performance; second, U.S. adults reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than English adults (unlike Brits, they seek medication if they are depressed), and this may have accounted for some of the U.S. advantage in brain health since depression is linked with worse cognitive functioning; and third, significant differences in alcohol consumption between the U.S. and English seniors may play a role with more than 50 percent of U.S. seniors reporting no alcohol use, compared to only 15.5 percent of English seniors. Previous research has shown that moderate alcohol consumption, compared to abstinence, is linked with better cognition among those aged 50 and over.

Interesting links and interesting messages. Okay, maybe we can’t do much about our existing levels of education and net worth in later years, but keeping the brain active, keeping involved, interested and in the mainstream to stave off depression (and perhaps seeking treatment if it does occur), and cutting back on alcohol are all things which are possible and achievable. If it helps keep the brain ticking over that much better in later old age surely it’s got to be worth the effort.

More about the study at http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/553659/

Funkyfogey’s Brain Gym

Closer investigation of a recent press release reveals that the link www.funkyfogeybraingym.com leads to a potentially interesting site designed to help funky fogeys (over 45s) enjoy a longer, happier, and healthier life by spending a little time each day on mental exercises that do for the brain what aerobics does for the body.

At the outset a free Brain Age Test calculates your brain age compared to your chronological age. This test is designed to uncover the true age of the brain, and to act as a reference point for future brain improvement. Upon completion of the test you receive a full and confidential report by email.

By regularly using the facilities at the Funkyfogey Brain Gym individuals not only improve their memory and general brain functioning  they are also are contributing valuable information and data for scientific research into how the brain works being undertaken by Mind Lab International – a brain research organisation based in the Innovations Centre at the University of Sussex,.

It deserves a closer look for no other reason than it’s a great name.  Funkyfogey.  I like it.

Good practice in managing age diversity

Attended an interesting and informative conference yesterday on Developing Good Practice in Managing Age Diversity in the HE Sector organized (very capably) by The Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice at Oxford Brookes University.  (See more at    http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/hr/cdprp/age/index.html )

As was expected the delegates largely comprised HR professionals from other universities keen to learn from the research findings being presented and to benefit from the opportunity to share ideas. As the day progressed it became evident from the content and level of discussion that in many ways higher education institutions lag behind the private sector in their approach to managing age diversity. Although the general climate was redolent with good intentions, much remains to be done.

On many occasions and in many environments in the past I have been struck by how organizations fail to capitalize on their own talents, thereby missing out on the opportunity to lead the field and make a mark. In this instance it led me to wonder why, when most Universities have management schools, their support structure makes so little use of them.

The majority aren’t undertaking specific research into age diversity but on a wider platform effective management is their business. So why aren’t academics more closely involved in theory application? Why don’t practitioners involve them? Why aren’t they themselves generally more interested in ensuring that their own organization represents management excellence? Why aren’t HE institutions leading the field in managing age diversity?

Cobbler’s shoes, I guess.

Though would you trust a hairdresser with a really bad haircut?