Live Longer Better

Wesport alongside 20 Active Partnerships and national partners are supporting Live Longer Better, a campaign to enable people to reduce the need for health and social care and reverse the effects of lockdown.

​The number of people over 80 is going to increase significantly in the next ten years with little increase in healthy life expectancy in prospect. This has huge implications for health and social care services.  It doesn’t have to be this way. The evidence is strong that the incidence of the major causes of disability and dependency can be prevented or delayed, compressing the period at the end of life when we are heavily dependent on others. 

The Optimal Ageing Program: Living Longer Better with Sir Muir Gray

Mission and goals

The mission is to change the culture surrounding ageing, replacing the concept of care with the concept of enablement. No matter how old someone is and how many conditions they have, the expectation should be that they can be enabled to regain lost ability, improve their physical and mental wellbeing and make an even greater contribution to society. To develop a new culture using physical activity as the driver to increase healthspan for older adults. 

Objectives of the system for Live Longer Better

  • Prevent and mitigate isolation.
  • Increase physical ability and resilience and increase healthspan.
  • Promote knowledge and understanding about living longer better among older people and the wider population to counteract the detrimental effects of ageism.
  • Create an environment in which people can fulfil their potential.
  • Enable strengthening of purpose.
  • Support carers better.
  • Minimise and mitigate the effects of deprivation. 
  • Reduce the risk of and delay or prevent  dementia.
  • Prevent and minimise the effects of disease and multimorbidity.

Programme of learning

The main intervention to achieve the goal will be through learning that opens up new ways of thinking for older people, the family, professionals and volunteers who support them, and the leadership of key decision makers.

Sir Muir Gray has developed a course to demonstrate how anyone over the age of 60 should be making active changes to their lifestyle in order to live longer, better.

The course is based on a lifetime of experience and scientific research at the highest level and will encourage you and your audience to re-examine the way you talk about and effect the process of ageing. You will finish the course with a newfound positive outlook on this process that can be shared with colleagues, clients, and friends.

The course is made up of 12 lessons which are delivered in pre-recorded videos as well as notes attached for further study and optional assignments that can be uploaded into the virtual classroom.

Through the local Ageing Well funding for Live Longer Better, we have access to a number of free licences. If you are interested in accessing this course as an individual or with a group from your organisation, please contact Sarah Casselden sarah.casselden@wesport.org.uk

Watch an introduction to the course here.

Visit the Live Longer Better website to learn more.

View the Active Partnerships press release.