UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF ROBUST AGEING: WIDER DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH NEEDED TO BUILD IN RESILIENCE ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE

¹Anglia Ruskin University, Faculty Medical Science, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Background: Rising numbers of older people in the UK, make it essential that their prevalence, behaviour, needs and management become a focus of study. This will enable appropriate policies and funding of health and social care to be put into place, not merely for economic or social reasons locally and nationally, but above all to promote the quality of life of older people.
There is a noticeably growing population of the ´oldest old´, those born between 1920 and 1935. They appear to be very robust and seldom require health or social care. Most are living independently at home and are socially engaged.
The question arose whether the austerity of World War II had any bearing on their longevity.

Purpose: The study sought to determine whether there was an association between longevity and years of austerity and hard work in a united community such as existed during the war. The dietary component was also considered.
If such an association was found, an active life of meaningful productivity, plenty of fresh produce in the diet together with good social support could build in the resilience which enabled the ´oldest old´ to withstand threats to their existence.

Methods: A qualitative narrative enquiry traced the Wider Determinants of Health (WDH) in a small selection of this population in Cambridgeshire. Written memoirs covered their experiences and practices from childhood to the present. WDH guidelines were given to direct their writing. This data was repeatedly checked and analysed using tables of WDH across the decades. The results were summarised into significant themes which were also compared for male and female results. The emphasis was on recording their attitudes towards the war and its impact on them.

Results: The written details gave a portrait of their lives as well as their life-view. The analysed data revealed an association of WDH with their longevity, in particular strong relationships and stable, meaningful employment. The war was regarded as a challenge to be overcome. The only medical conditions of note were arthritic joints and replacement surgery greatly extended their function and independence.

Conclusion(s): Intergenerational living in a local community with strong bonding in meaningful relationships, stable employment and accommodation, together with a common purpose and will to survive has a close association with longevity. Managing Long Term Conditions with the support of the community and assistive technology must play an essential role. Maintaining independence enables older people to play a meaningful role in the community, thus sustaining dignity and ensuring a good quality of life as long as possible. Status and usefulness in the family and community, together with support and freedom to make decisions on the future, enhance dignity and fuel the will to survive.

Implications: A model was drawn up to build resilience into the life course of future generations, teaching survival skills and ensuring robust living at every age. Community assets including space, funding and a workforce, voluntary or employed, should be set aside to make this a reality, supported by statutory authorities through appropriate policies and funding.

Funding acknowledgements: An educational award of £1500 was made by the CSP towards the fees which were mainly self-funded.

Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing

Ethics approval: Ethical approval was granted by the Faculty (of Medical Science) Research Ethics Panel. FREP of Anglia Ruskin University.

All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.