to think it's not a bad thing that life expectancy has stalled in the first world?

[A580Hojas]

I mean, really?

Why should we all expect to outlive our parents if they died at some point in their late 70s or early 80s?

I am quite old in Mumsnet terms but I don't feel entitled to live to 90 or 95 or whatever.

Very old people staying alive for a year or two more isn't something to be celebrated is it? I say this as someone with a parent in reasonable health in their late 80s.

Its one huge moral maze!

On an over populated planet why do we, as a species, put so much effort into keeping people alive longer and longer and longer.

At individual levels everyone wants their friends and relatives to have as long and fulfilling a life as possible, but advances in medical science, improvements in health and safety and even simple things like mobile phones enabling emergency services to be called to incidents more swiftly mean more people will reach old age world population increases and the problems of sustainability increase.

Life expectancy is calculated as an average. It’s not about getting 85 year olds to live to 87, it’s about stopping 45 year olds dying of heart attacks and diabetes.

^^This.

It's also look at why infant mortality is rising – and thus lowering the average life expectancy age.. It's also worth considering why different locations and social class aren't living as long as other areas.

chillpizza

Yes there is a lack of responsibility. Perhaps it’s time to accept that the NHS should only be used for specific treatment. If you want to OD of coke, fine but the bill is on you.

Agree with the poster who pointed out that you were being insensitive, so I had to ask. This is definitely not a good thing and life expectancy is a very good indicator of the health of its population. So yes, it does matter.

satsumaeater there's already an established link between diabetes T2 and Alzheimers, didn't know pollution was another risk factor.
I don't think the OP is being goady at all, though of course it might be upsetting for those of us who have lost relatives at a comparitively young age. It's a very interesting point, and obviously there's a lot of complex issues involved.

My nana lived until she was 97. I think she lived so long as my mum and dad looked after her at home with such love and care.

My parents are 90 and 93. They actually do not really have any serious health problems but just because of their age are not really able to do much.

They have never driven and have always walked everywhere. They now can barely get across the road to catch a bus. My dad walks so slowly it takes for ever for him to even do that.

They have a large back garden which my dad now can't manage. It was always immaculate with lovely flower beds and he grew loads of veg. It is now overgrown and me, DH and my siblings and their OH's try hard to keep on top of it but it's not easy as we all have our own homes, gardens etc and all work (except me).

My dad gets really depressed about the fact he can't get about and also about not being able to garden. He keeps saying he doesn't want to carry on living.

Mum is not so bad but doesn't seem to get any real pleasure from anything any more.

It makes me so sad to see them as they are and I really do hope I don't live to be that sort of age

How is it anyone's fault but themselves if they have a bad lifestyle? I drink like a fish so will probably die younger than if I didn't. But that is my choice. Not the government's, not austerity, not capitalism. My fault. Stop making excuses for other people's behaviour and choices in life.

Not sure I should highlight this.....but here we go.... ONS statistics from 2013 : more than three times as many babies die to parents of ethnic minorities than white British. I am just wondering whether this is anything to do with cousin marriage. It is one of our biggest health issues which is rarely highlighted due to sensitivities about race.
Interestingly the ONS no longer produce this data.

@Gromance02 hold on there, my ds had a brain tumour - nothing could have prevented it except early intervention which he didn’t get. FIL was copd from years working in dirty industry - better welfare would have helped, not self inflicted, I could go on.

Those who are poor and discriminated against have lower life expectancies. Inequality lowers life expectancy. It is easy to blame individuals and ignore wider issues.

YABU

It’s stalled for a reason and coincides with huge austerity.

It’s also worse than the rest of the developed world.

It needs looking at to see why,

Their quality of life was awful for the last couple of years. I absolutely don't want to go there. Longevity is pointless if your life gives you no pleasure

Exactly. Would you rather die of dementia in your 90s or have a heart attack in your 70s? 75 might feel quite early to die, but at least you'd probably still have a quality of life at that stage. My FIL died at 80 of lung cancer (he had been a heavy smoker in early years, he didn't suffer for long with it as he was diagnosed in early June and died in early August). He had slowed down quite a lot, but he didn't go through the stage my father did in his early 90s of losing his mobility and sitting in a nursing home waiting to die of Parkinsons in his case.

People do not have the same access to good health care.

My FIL is dying at 89. His last few years of life have been awful.

There was a study and I believe tv documentary done on cousin marriages and the genetic issues for their children. Not always straight away but once you get onto second/third generations of cousin marriages. It’s a bit of a ticking time bomb of bad genetics being stored up. Some of the women likely to be put into arranged cousin marriages have actually started to have genetic testing carried out before the marriage/babies not many though.

Wouldn’t we all rather be treated a bit more like our pets in the sense of a day to early rather than months or years later living in pain and misery. We see it as inhumane to keep dogs/cats drugged upto the eyeballs unable to live the life they should but for humans we are not granted the same.

chillpizza My DP has a genetic illness because of cousin and close marriages in his family.

I think it says a lot about current lifestyles. Long commutes, stress, loneliness, alcohol, poor diet, obesity, is all taking its toll.
I think the fact it's gone backwards in some areas is worrying. And if people have worse heath before they die this will impact the NHS which is already shaky

Experts are saying the stagnation is because of poor social care. If elderly people are not looked after properly, they die sooner.

Infant mortality rates are rising in some areas due to how deaths are recorded - this subject was recently researched on the Radio 4 programme More or Less

I don't understand why there are so many more disabled people around these days. Whole floors of car parks are taken up for blue badge holders. When did we all become so unhealthy? Why? I'm not bashing bb holders by the way - if you need the badge then you need the badge and I'm glad that facility is available but I'm sure the provision has grown exponentially. I certainly don't remember seeing so many people struggling to get around even 20 years ago.

The other issue is that there is only so much you can do with information campaigns and voluntary measures. Yes, we need to reduce early deaths from obesity and drug abuse (legal and illegal) but I don’t want draconian legislation enforcing healthy BMI or rationing of food or alcohol. Benefits linked to your Fitbit readouts and the whole range of dystopian possibilities.
So, we know the problems, we know the solutions, how do we get people to comply with healthy guidelines?
And no. I certainly don’t want to be old and decrepit, and I’d like a civilised legal exit available to me without involving a trip to Switzerland.

"I agree that the poorer households have poorer health. Where I will disagree is that it isn't exclusively down to income, but also to poor education and poor life choices."

It is down to income in a lot of cases Eating healthily is more expensive If it wasnt , if it was cheaper then people living in nursing homes wouldnt be getting served stuff like this.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3360945-That-old-people-deserve-nice-food

It is also down to oppression. People who are depressed and stressed are less likely to make healthy life choices.