Pharmafile Logo

Longevity but at what price?

Say Communications, healthcare PR agency, analyses the prospect of living to 150 years old, thanks to the anti-ageing biomedical research, and what PR will look like.

While perusing the Sunday papers I came across an article in the Sunday Telegraph that inspired me to put pen to paper. An anti-ageing expert, Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, Director of the UK–based Biogerontology Research Foundation, says that we all have the capacity to live to 150 years old! 

My immediate reaction was, are you serious? 150? Who would want to live that long…but with good health and wealth, why shouldn’t we? Zhavoronkov’s theory is that by following the advances in biomedical research, we can now vaccinate against what were once killer illnesses; antibiotics have increased our life expectancy (although there is a debate there about time running out to find new ones). Humans also have better access to better food and shelter, certainly in the Western world.

But, and this is a big but, simple maths could unravel all of this. Why? For those who exist on a state pension, access to some healthcare is unaffordable (dentistry for instance), food is a huge expense and fuel poverty is a very real concern. If we cannot afford to eat properly and heat our homes as we get older, could we really expect to live to 150?

Dr Zhavonronkov thinks that we have a mental barrier to ageing and expect to live as long as the national average, or follow our family history. At 39 I have a granddad who is 99, and soon to be 100, he is living in a care home and has all his needs catered for. We think he could go on to at least 106…so maybe 150 isn’t all that crazy after all. Dr Aubrey De Grey is a keen supporter of the the ultra-ageing theory and back in 2011 he said: ‘I’d say we have a 50/50 chance of bringing ageing under what I’d call a decisive level of medical control within the next 25 years or so.”

Now the thought that I might live another 110 years is quite a daunting prospect. Given the level of technological advances, can we conceive what life will be like? Will there be a state pension that pays out for 70 years? I doubt it. How long will we need to work to support an extended old age? Will we be cared for by robots to save money? Quite possibly. Will we only need to eat a pill a day that delivers all the nutrients we need? I hope not!

I’m also thinking about the news stories we might see (I doubt newspapers will exist in 100 years), “Average age for retirement is now 90!” “Old age job blockers preventing the young from entering employment market.” Or “We have now eradicated cancer.”  Now that’s a thought!

Longevity sounds great at first but I’m happy to go along with the crowd on this one and base my future life span on the national average, or a bit longer, like my granddad but only if I have my health!Click on this video from Biogerontology Research Foundation explaining what ageing is.

– Written by Louise B.

This content was provided by Say Communications

Company Details

 Latest Content from  Say Communications 

Stick or twist? The future of HCP engagement

The Covid-19 pandemic forced companies to be more agile and rethink their value offering when engaging with HCPs, but what does the future of HCP engagement look like?

Stick or twist? Looking at the patient experience as we emerge from the COVID pandemic

The pandemic has given us a glimpse (actually, more of a very long look) at an alternative way of receiving healthcare and engaging with the NHS. And that alternative fits...

Stick or Twist? Healthcare brands in a (post) COVID-19 world

How have our perceptions of healthcare brands and our purchasing habits changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The impact of 5G on digital marketing

Excitement around the next generation of internet connectivity is mounting, as it promises to revolutionise the way we interact with the world. The question for communications professionals is what will...

COVID-19 is redefining the value of ‘critical jobs’: An opportunity for social care?

Despite the varied and rewarding nature of a job which makes a real difference to the lives of adults from a range of backgrounds every single day, it is fair...

How to keep your weight under control during lockdown

One nightmare scenario would be if we all get to the end of lockdown with our sanity but then find that we are too fat to get out of the...

Brands stepping up to show solidarity during COVID-19

The brands that are stepping up to show solidarity during COVID-19 will be those that are remembered long after pandemic passes.

HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTHCARECutting-edge technology is rapidly changing the healthcare landscape. When you look closely at the rate and level of innovation brought about by tech over the...

Language barriers: Obesity has become a loaded word

We have a worldwide ‘obesity crisis’. Everyone knows this; obesity is in the news almost every week for one reason or another, but what we seem less sure of is...

All Change: The Challenges of Embracing a Plant-Based Diet

Rick Wilson – Director of Nutrition and Dietetics at Kings College Hospital for 30 years up to his retirement in 2015, BSc. RD (retired) – looks at some of the...