Optimal ageing with Sir Muir Gray

Sir Muir Gray is one of Britain’s leading public health doctors and is an internationally renowned authority on healthcare systems worldwide.

During his long and successful career in public health, Muir has worked for the World Health Organisation programme on ageing and has developed a number of initiatives to promote wellbeing in later life, in particular to prevent or delay dementia and disability.

He has developed screening programmes in the NHS for pregnant women, children, adults and older people, for example offering men aged 65 screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm and for both men and women, screening for colorectal cancer.

He also developed services to bring knowledge to patients and professionals, for example developing NHS Choices, now embedded in www.nhs.uk  and setting up the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine in Oxford.

During his career, Muir was appointed as the Chief Knowledge Officer of the NHS and was awarded both a CBE and later a Knighthood for services for the NHS.

Longer, healthier living

Alongside his many achievements within the health service, Muir is passionate about ageing and how to embrace it with positivity that leads to a longer, healthier existence.  

When sharing his views on ageing with Brio Retirement Living, Muir commented: "Ageing by itself is not a cause of major problems until our late 90s. Most of the problems that occur as we live longer, based on my work over the last 50 years, are due to three factors:

• Loss of fitness, mental and physical
• Disease (much of which is preventable) and complicated by accelerated loss of fitness
• Negative beliefs and pessimistic attitudes, for example, assuming everyone over 70 is developing dementia, should rest as much as possible, and needs care

“The elixir of life is knowledge; we have the knowledge now that most of the problems that we see developing as we live longer are not due to ageing but are due to factors that we can influence”

Muir has provided us at Brio Retirement Living with some simple rules that can help us all to live better for longer:

1. Learn to understand your body.
2. Don’t accept what most people say about ageing – be positive!
3. Become more active physically, get even fitter!
4. Become more active mentally, learn new skills.
5. Become more active socially, for example by helping other people.
6. Get more sleep.
7. Be cautious users of healthcare.
8. Eat more plants and eat fewer wrapped foods.
9. Define yourself or be defined.

Optimal ageing

Sir Muir Gray has developed a course to help us all live better for longer and we’re supporting Muir by offering access to the course at a discounted price of just £28! To find out more about the course or sign up with our exclusive offer, click here.