Ageing

Analysis and Comment (28)

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Worrying about ageing is a waste of your time. Faith K Lefever

If you want to live longer, do nothing

By Avi Roy, University of Buckingham

I want to live longer and help others do the same. I assumed the most effective way to do that is by understanding the science of ageing and then engineering solutions to extend human lifespan. That is…
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Ageing couple Gorges and Ann Laurant (Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva) negotiate illness and death in Amour. EPA Claudio Onorati

The thorny issue of home care in Michael Haneke’s Amour

By Steve Macfarlane, Monash University

During our lifetime, we face a series of developmental tasks that are universal to the human condition. The last of these stages comes in our final years, when we face our mortality, reflect back upon…
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You may achieve your pigmentary potential a little ahead of schedule, but you can’t go grey overnight. Image from shutterstock.com

Monday’s medical myth: stress can turn hair grey overnight

By Michael Vagg, Barwon Health

The belief that nervous shock can cause you to go grey overnight (medically termed canities subita) is one of those tales which could nearly be true. There are certainly cases in medical literature of…
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Pope Benedict XVI, who recently announced that he will resign from the papacy this month. AAP/Claudio Peri

Pope’s resignation is a recognition of human frailty in an ageing world

By Peter Sherlock, MCD University of Divinity

Pope Benedict XVI announced his historic decision to step aside as Pope yesterday. This is the first time in 600 years a Pope has resigned. And in 1415 when Gregory XII resigned, he did so not to retire…
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Health and transport authorities should focus on helping older drivers to drive safely for longer. Older driver image from shutterstock.com

Getting older drivers off the road won’t solve safety problems

By Mark King, Queensland University of Technology

When an older driver has a crash with tragic consequences, there are calls for stricter licensing controls to detect “unfit” drivers and take their licences away, typically focusing on those aged 75 or…
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An emphasis on longer working lives should be a policy aspiration, rather than an ideological straitjacket. Image from www.shutterstock.com

Active ageing is a risky labour market policy

By Philip Taylor, Monash University

Welcome to Shades of Grey, a series from The Conversation that examines the challenges posed by Australia’s ageing workforce. Today, Monash University’s Philip Taylor looks at the costs and benefits of…
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Australia’s approach to pensions and super disadvantages women. HarryetN

Australian census: women are living longer, and on less

By Rafal Chomik

AUSTRALIA BY NUMBERS: The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the first batch of its census data. We’ve asked some of the country’s top demographers and statisticians to crunch the numbers on…
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Aboriginal elders will help lay the path for health-care innovation in Indigenous communities. aia web team

Indigenous ageing: walking backwards into the future

By Graeme Maguire, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute and Mark Wenitong, James Cook University

The notion of walking backwards into the future describes the value we can derive from remembering and understanding our past, in order to best prepare for a better tomorrow. We can’t do this without properly…
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Those who continue to be physically and mentally active throughout their life seem to age more slowly. Garry Knight

Why we can’t live forever: understanding the mechanisms of ageing

By Merlin Thomas, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

Ageing is the sum of many processes acting in concert to produce the signs and symptoms we know as “getting old”. Of course, there’s no way to stop the ageing process, but a better understanding of the…
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For baby boomers, 70 is the new 50. Dr Hemmert

Defining old age: Baby Boomers to rewrite the books

By Garry Jennings, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

At the turn of the 20th century, life expectancy in Australia was just 55 years for men and 59 for women. Thanks to medical breakthroughs and technological advances, the average Australian woman can now…
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Studies have shown older people can enthusiastically adopt new opportunities to stay in contact with younger generations. lyzadanger/Flickr

Inclusion vital for a healthy ageing population

By Yvonne Wells, La Trobe University

Over the past century life expectancy has increased dramatically and older citizens around the globe will soon outnumber children. By 2050, nearly one out of every four people will be older than 60 years…
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China has the largest absolute number of older people globally, with 13% of the population aged 60 and over. EPA/Wu Hong

Healthy ageing, happy life: lessons from China

By Colette Browning, Monash University

The demographic profile of the world is changing. Ageing is a global phenomenon, an unprecedented, pervasive, profound and an enduring process for humanity. The current and future burden and opportunities…
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Chemicals are present in the brain a decade or so before symptoms occur. Rosie O Beirne

Alzheimer’s could be diagnosed and treated before symptoms occur

By John Breitner, McGill University

Dementia is among the largest cause of disability in Australians aged over 65 and affects memory, intellect, rationality, social skills and everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for…
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Older people are finally being consulted about the type of care they need. EPA/Diego Azubel

Ask the elderly what they need, not the care industry

By Hal Kendig

Australia’s population is ageing, presenting an economic challenge to look after the most vulnerable members of our society. The Productivity Commission released a report last month recommending a complete…
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High intake of antioxidants won’t slow the ageing process and may increase your risk of some cancers. Dan Machold

Monday’s medical myth: a diet high in antioxidants slows the aging process

By Michael Vagg, Barwon Health

As Australians' life expectancy nudges past 80 years, it’s no surprise that we’re searching for ways to add youthfulness and vitality to our later years. It’s a nice idea that a good dose of blueberries…
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Signs of ageing are seen as lending distinction to some while the rest of us scramble to retain our youth. AAP

George Clooney is the exception – the rest of us need Botox

By Peta Cook, University of Tasmania

While we celebrate certain celebrities who age gracefully like Dame Judy Dench, or exult the distinctiveness that ageing brings to particular male celebrities, such as George Clooney, the signs of ageing…
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Broadband-enabled technologies can ensure a more comfortable ageing process. sparktography

If I had a blank cheque I’d … reform Australia’s aged care system

By Kate Cornick, University of Melbourne

Welcome to If I had a blank cheque … a series in which leading researchers reveal what they could (and would) do in their discipline if money were no object. Today we hear from Dr Kate Cornick, Executive…
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Mental stimulation can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. nany mata/Flickr

Victims of our own success: why more of us are facing dementia

By Brian Draper

When we think of dementia, we tend to imagine it as a condition that goes hand in hand with old age. What’s not talked about is the fact the diseases that cause it have a long genesis. Alzheimer’s Australia…
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Your grandparents' lifespan can offer some valuable clues. joeduty/Flickr

Who wants to live forever?

By Brian J. Morris

It’s well known that humans are living longer than ever before, thanks partially to developments such as sanitation and modern medicine. But will it ever be possible for humans to live forever? The late…
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Financial measures to address ageing promote inequality and weaken the budget. Patrick Doheny/Flickr

The myth of the ageing ‘crisis’

By Ben Spies-Butcher

So far there have been three Intergenerational Reports by Treasury examining the challenges of an ageing population which have consistently been used to justify new policies to address a potential ageing…

Research and News (3)

Research Briefs (11)

Musical brains delay cognitive ageing

Emory University

Musical instrumental training at a young age may reduce the effects of memory decline and cognitive ageing. A range of cognitive…

Defective gene linked to osteoporosis

University of Sheffield

Women with a particular faulty receptor lose 10 times more bone mass than women without it. The receptor for the energy molecule…

Worms could hold the key to immortality

University of Nottingham

Some worms display an apparently limitless ability to regenerate aged or damaged tissue. Unlike human cells which show signs…

A clue to reversing ageing

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A gene, which allows yeast cell to reset their age and double their lifespan, has been found by biologists at MIT. Human…

Participants (77)