Adapting to long lives

< Back

Interactive workshop presentation

Presenter(s):

David Sinclair; Kiran Rabheru; Julie Byles, ILC Global Alliance, United Kingdom

Abstract

Members of the ILC Global Alliance will lead a workshop on how different countries can better adapt to long lives.

Investing in people’s health is vital for everyone’s wellbeing and to ensure that we can truly benefit from the “longevity dividend” that could result from an ageing population. Yet we know that across the globe, action and investment in healthy ageing and preventative health continues to lag.

This is where the ILC-UK Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index comes in.

It ranks 153 countries against six indicators: life span, health span, work span, income, environmental performance, and happiness. This allows us to compare how sustainable different countries are, both in terms of longer lives and the extent to which their governments are investing in efforts to prevent ill health and support healthy ageing. With two published sets of data, now we can also track progress over time to ensure we are having meaningful conversations about what must happen to keep people well for longer.

We know prevention is better than cure. We know what works. Now we need to see action.

Through this interactive ILC Global Alliance workshop, participants will all have the opportunity to talk about how their country could perform better on the index.

Bio(s):

David Sinclair
David has worked in policy and research on ageing and demographic change for 20 years.

David has a particular interest in older consumers, active ageing, financial services, adult vaccination, and the role of technology in an ageing society. He has a strong knowledge of UK and global ageing society issues, from healthcare to pensions and housing to transport.

David has presented on longevity and demographic change across the world (from Seoul to Singapore and Sydney to Stormont). And he has published reports on a range of topics including transport, technology, health and consumption.

David is an International Advisor for the Sau Po Centre on Ageing at Hong Kong University and a member of the External Advisory board for the University of Surrey Centre of Excellence on Ageing.

David has worked as an expert for the pan-European Age Platform for 15 years and is the former Vice-Chair of the Government’s Consumer Expert Group for Digital Switchover. For ten years he chaired a London based charity (Open Age) which enables older people to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain active lifestyles and develop new and stimulating interests.

Prior to joining the ILC, David worked as Head of Policy at Help the Aged where he led a team of 8 policy advisors. David has also worked for environmental and disability organisations in policy and public affairs functions. His other experience includes working as a VSO volunteer in Romania, in Parliament for a Member of Parliament, and with backbench committees.

David is married, and has a 17 year old daughter. He runs (slowly) and cycles (a little quicker), is a retired football referee and once scored a penalty against Peter Shilton.

Dr Kiran Rabheru

Dr. Kiran Rabheru is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa and Geriatric Psychiatrist at The Ottawa Hospital. He obtained his MD from the University of Western Ontario. He is a Certificant and a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP, FCFP) and a board certified geriatric psychiatrist in Canada and the United States (FRCP, DABPN). Dr. Rabheru is designated as a Founder of the subspecialty of Geriatric Psychiatry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is recipient of the Outstanding Achievements in Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada award by the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry (CAGP). Dr. Rabheru is passionate and committed to serving older persons and creating a world in which they can live free from discrimination and able to fully enjoy their rights.

Currently, he is the Chair of the Board of the International Longevity Centre, Canada (www.ilccanada.org). He is a Board member as well as Chair of the Advocacy and Public Awareness Committee of the International Psychogeriatric Association (www.ipa-online.org ). Dr. Rabheru is Chair of the Section of Positive Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association (https://www.wpanet.org/) and a member of the National Leadership Team for the Fountain of Health (www.fountainofhealth.ca), which promotes healthy aging, brain resilience and vitality.

In the past, he has served as CAGP’s President and Board member (www.cagp.ca), Chair of the Steering Group for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People – GAROP (https://rightsofolderpeople.org), and Co-Leader of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health (https://ccsmh.ca/).

Julie Byles

Emeritus Professor Julie Byles AO BMed PhD FAAHMS, is an Honorary Professor at the University of Newcastle.

Julie has held local, national, and international roles in the International Clinical Epidemiology Network, the International Gerontology and Geriatrics Association, the International Longevity Centres Global Alliance (currently co-president), and has worked with the World Health Organisation in various advisory roles.

Julie is a Fellow and Life Member of the Australian Association of Gerontology, and was National President from 2011-2013. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.

As a clinical epidemiologist, Julie’s interests are in risk determination, health assessment, other health care evaluation, and measurement of health outcomes.

As a Gerontologist, her interests in ageing include the role of health and long-term care services, preventive activities, and treatments in maintaining quality of life for older people. She is currently serving on the Lancet Commission for Long-term Care.

In her “retirement”, Julie wanted to increase her engagement with the local community, so she took on the lead of the Hunter Ageing Alliance.

She was named the City of Newcastle’s Senior Citizen of the Year for 2024.