AIBU to think poor health in later life is a UK problem?

This!

Our health care is very poor.
And yes as above all the wealthy people I know go private.
My poor mum wasn't so lucky, died hours after seeing a Dr who didn't even pick up how ill she was. I have found myself battling to push for diagnostics in recent years whereas previously you would just get referred. Cheapest options first these days I find.
Am in Scotland so there is no 2 week pathway. I think we have the highest numbers of people dying from cancer due to late diagnoses.

Yes - if you can avoid the waits and decline that will clearly help.

My worry is for young people - so many of them are obese and I think this is the downside of body positivity. Yes, body shaming isn't nice, but my generation (Gen X) were told when we were too fat and needed to lose some weight and while there are plenty of us who are too heavy, I think most of us at least have the awareness about what a healthy weight is and isn't. Some young people are super healthy (like health obsessed), but others are just plain obese and don't seem to care, which is quite worrying.

I never said we didn't have long working hours but that doesn't also mean we're not lazy outside of work.

A 40 hour working week still leaves us with 128 hours to exercise, eat well, sleep, socialise and do whatever else we need to do. It's hardly like we're pushed for time.

I listened to some GPs on radio 4 talking about this- they were blaming poor housing, insecure housing, insecure work lack of community/isolation - often coming with unemployment/low empolyment.

The also talked about mental exhaustion batteling systems not designed well - whether that was benefit systems or heath care - which can cover heath care ineqauliteis - poor areas have less access to GP and can find it harder to access diagnostic services - often causes stress and depression which doesn't help health.

I also think the NHS is bad a chronic conditions.

There are also lifestyle factors - diets, excerise - some money driven some time- access to green space - even polution levels vary between areas poor area having less rosources to insit on changes and poor peopel less options about where to live.

I've seen toll elder and spouse care has taken on mum - battleing NHS - which is often every inflexible to point with DGP she had to give up work to deal with appointments - then dad slowly getting very isolated. That started when they were around 50 - and then they started with ill health - a pattern GP mentioned. My IL by contrast avoided elder care and despite phycial jobs and retried late 60s they health in mid 70s is actaully very good and they remain very active. It'a all harder when there is phycial distance and travel - whcih there was with DGP and parents becuase work meant they had to move - not as far as we have but enough to add to stress.

marsbarslice Then check out Google scholar if you’d prefer the research which confirms we have the longest working hours in Europe

HTH

Weather is a red herring imo. We've had healthier population in past times with the same weather.

It’s interesting that you mention the social aspect of this. I listened to two GPs being interviewed on R4’s The World at One today, and they both talked about isolation as an illness in the UK, and the huge impact that social isolation has on a person’s health. It sounds like a big factor in explaining these worrying statistics.

My parents and their friends pay for private hip replacements physio, knee surgery and cataract treatment so that they can remain active, sociable and able to drive without having to wait for months/years for the NHS. That is presumably one of the reasons people who are better off are healthier later in life.

Google will tell you anything you want it to if you feed it with the right phrases.

I’m like two different people with a twenty year age gap in the winter and summer. If the UK were in the Med we would be a very different people.

@Legomania

Yes & it’s not because they are living longer

www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/07/baby-boomers-living-longer-but-are-in-worse-health-than-previous-generations

And they always have wine with their lunch.

Yes. Very serious marsbarslice and a quick google will tell you the same

Is there an element to this that with the NHS, anyone in the UK can at least report that they are in ill health and ask for support treatment? So the reporting of health concerns is also high/as high as it could reasonably be?

Not saying we get A++ health care at all times - but in the UK all have the ability and reason to report illness - whereas in the USA for example, people will have health concerns and let themselves stay untreated due to lack of access/costs etc. So it's not reported.

Bunnylake

such a true statement you’ve made, so MUCH easier in bright spring weather to get a wiggle on and do things

I don’t think it is cycling as an activity that people hate, it is dangerous cycling - going through red lights, wearing headphones, not making themselves visible in the dark, cycling on pavements. Generally no excuse for any of this and certainly doesn’t make it safe for the cyclist.

Unmanaged T2 diabetes -> organ damage -> stroke/dementia

In old age minor ailments will be treated so that the final years are dragged out in miserable ill health.

We now survive things which killed previous generations but late diagnosis means we dont survive them well.

What we dont seem to have got to is an acceptance that an old age in miserable ill health is not good for individuals or society.

One solution to stop automatic active treatment of anything for anyone over the age of, say, 75. This is the cheap option. People could request active treatment but would need to demonstrate that they will benefit from it.

Are they? Maybe those of the previous generations who lived longer; life expectancy was ten years less in the UK in 1960. People didn't have to worry about their older old age because of the slim chance of reaching it!

No point looking at averages to work things out on an individual level. These are done from population level surveys.

Have a think about how many people (eg with chronic long term conditions) would be answering they are in poor health starting in their teens and twenties, but still living to a ripe old age. Could include asthma, type 1 diabetes, ME, even people with what you'd think of as disabilities may also define themselves as in poor heath.

That means the average years of poor health is skewed a bit. They don't really have a "years of poor health for people who don't otherwise have a lifelong chronic condition"

Buy seasonal vegetables, and fruit. Bananas, and apples, are not expensive, carrots, and potatoes, spring greens, broccoli, are cheap. Salads consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc do not need to be cooked. I know that of course finances comes into play, but the fact remains, imo, that lots of people have no desire to eat in the way that would be beneficial to them, and their children. I am not including children with special dietary needs here.

Back in the 60s and70s, adults joined clubs around their hobbies/interests, be it amateur dramatics or showing roses or pigeon racing.

@mugglewump the French do have a UPF problem. I spend a lot of time in France and they definitely have an addiction to McDonalds.

Most McDonalds in Europe!

I wondered that too. My older sister in her 60s and has a bit of arthritis but is fit and active. She would probably report as being in good health, because she is, despite the arthritis. Someone else might think that having arthritis means they must report as being in poor health.