Unit 5: Creative Ageing - Opportunities and Outlook
6.0 The Five Pillars of Healthy Ageing
When you read the topic of this Unit, you might have wondered what creative ageing might look like.
Step A
What do you think is the secret to ageing well? Note down first ideas in your personal learning diary.
Step B
Dr Jitka Vseteckova, a Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care at the Open University, established that while some of our ageing process is linked to genetic predispositions, the majority of it is connected to lifestyle decisions that are made throughout our lives. She has identified five areas to concentrate on in ageing well and labelled these the five pillars of ageing well: nutrition, hydration, physical, social and cognitive stimulation. You can read key findings and watch videos related to her research: "Five pillars of ageing well".
Watch the video on the role of cognitive stimulation in healthy ageing and note down 3 key findings in your personal learning diary. Compare your notes to our model answer.
In her lectures, Jitka recommends learning a language as one way of helping our brain to keep its plasticity. But learning a language is not just useful for your own health. Research suggests that bilingual and multilingual skills of care workers will become even more important for people living with dementia in the future.