Golden years

 

NEW STRAITS TIMES: The country’s greying population must take healthy-ageing seriously. Healthy-ageing is not anti-ageing. The former, according to an Australian government senior citizen website, is about "on-going activities and behaviours you undertake to reduce the risk of illness and disease and increase your physical, emotional and mental health". The latter, meanwhile, is often focused on the externals: defying wrinkles and firming muscles. In the long-term, the latter without the former is a waste of time, especially when anti-ageing focuses on the superficial, such as cosmetic surgery, without an equal or greater emphasis on the deeper aspects of the advancing years.

Like everything else in this particular demographic, the part of the beauty industry pertaining to older people is booming. Healthy ageing, however, is actually to stay healthy in spite of mounting age and this is what can be inculcated from early On: habits that grow the body and mind.

The First World Congress on Healthy Ageing 2012 being held in Kuala Lumpur and themed "Evolution: Holistic ageing in an age of change", opened by the prime minister’s wife, Datin Sen Rosmah Mansor, on Monday, is a forward-looking exercise in understanding how best the individual, society and the authorities can plan for 2035 when Malaysia attains "ageing nation status". This may sound ominous but ageing in good however, is health can bring enormous benefit actually to stay benefits in the way of reducing healthcare costs and providing an unusually workforce of mounting age, and of highly-skilled seniors. This is this is what can be already a fact as the country adapt inculcated from proceeds to extend the retirement age to 60.

That healthy-ageing is holistic in approach is reflected in the congress’ programme, which includes, other than the obvious, financial and stress management. Given the nature of ageing, which starts at the point of birth, there is a need for parents to understand the importance of sowing the seeds of healthy living in children. Age is not to be feared. Rather it is to be celebrated. For even after falling ill, with the right lifestyle adjustment, full-recovery can still mean good health.

New Straits Times