We are living longer and we want to live better

There are currently more than 900 million people over the age of 65 in the world and in 2050 there could be 2,000 million, explains Francesc Posas, director of the Institute of Biomedical Research, a pioneering institution in launching a programme on ageing. Much has been said about the socio-economic challenge this poses, both in terms of pensions and care for these people, but perhaps it is good to stop seeing it just as a problem and consider it for what it is, one of the great milestones of humanity in the last two centuries. It is clear from the graph that accompanies the opening of the dossier that we dedicate today to research on longevity and ageing. In 1800, the life expectancy of the European population was 33.3 years. Granted, many children died and this brought the average down a lot, but the truth is that very few reached old age and most of them died before they had reached what we now consider to be the end of youth. Hygienic measures and the introduction of sewage pipes, sewerage as it is known today, brought about a revolution, and by 1900 life expectancy had risen to 42.7 years, almost ten more. And the average rose still further when penicillin was discovered around 1930, which together with the first vaccines managed to reduce infant mortality. In 1950, however, life expectancy in Europe was still 62 years, and since then it has risen to almost 80 years (78.6) in 2019.

This higher life expectancy has been largely due to scientific and medical advances, and we are now also on the verge of a new revolution. Not so much because it is possible to extend life even further - this is also being studied - but because research over the last decade has focused on finding mechanisms to reverse or delay ageing and thus prevent some of the main diseases - Alzheimer's, cancer, etc. - that are associated with it. Many of these investigations are still in the animal testing phase, but some are already in the clinical phase with humans, and although it is too early to know the results, they open doors of hope to improve the quality of life of the elderly.

Science advances, yes, but if one thing has been learned over the years is that aging well also depends a lot on what you do. The improvement in recent years is largely due to the fact that more and more people have incorporated healthy lifestyle habits that allow them to have an active life despite their age. As today's testimonials in the dossier explain, and also the experts we have asked for advice on how to age well, the key is always to have good habits, both in terms of diet and exercise and to keep the mind busy and take care of social and emotional relationships. And you have to start doing this before, because what you do when you are young has repercussions on your health when you are older. The experience of covid has also shown the crisis and the precariousness of the nursing home system. It will take a big change, because now, certainly, many carry out functions of socio-sanitary homes without having the services that this would require, and instead have not adapted to offer the old autonomous services that would be required. It is a pending revolution that must be started immediately.