Australians live, on average, 12 years longer than they remain in good health. What does this gap reveal, and how can we future‑proof our lives to enjoy lasting wellbeing in later years?
Australians face a decade of poor health unless they close the gap between living longer and staying well.
Researchers have identified an average 12-year gap between Australians’ lifespan and health span, reshaping how people experience ageing, from the jobs they hold in their 60s and 70s, to the products they buy, the healthcare they receive, and the way they plan for retirement.
Investing in your long-term health
The shift means Australians need to rethink when they start caring about brain health and what they can do to compress the years spent in poor health, said UNSW Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey, a leading expert on cognitive ageing and dementia prevention.
“Health span is the number of years in which you have a healthy life, and lifespan is how long you live.
“For example, you might live to 100, but you become disabled in your mid-80s, in which case your health span might be 85, and you have 15 years with a disability. And so, in ageing, we’re trying to compress that time spent in disability and extend that health span.”
“The distinction between health span and lifespan determines whether people spend their later years in independence or dependence.
“We should be caring about it throughout our lives, which is a hard answer to process when you’re in your 20s,” said Professor Anstey, who also serves as Director of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute.
“We know with brain ageing, the things that improve your brain as you age and protect it from cognitive decline and dementia, those exposures accumulate through the life course.”
While many assume they can worry about health in later life, research shows that behaviours accumulate throughout life which affect health and broader life outcomes.
Midlife, for example, is when risk factors such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity emerge, making this period crucial for decisions that will influence health in decades to come.
Brain health and technology
Cognitive health will determine whether people can maintain independence, solve problems, work, and preserve their sense of self as they age, said Professor Anstey.
“Basically, without cognitive health, you can’t function, so you can’t solve everyday problems, you can’t work, you can’t participate in society, and it’s about the self as well. It’s your identity, who you are, your memory.”
Technology is evolving to assist with maintaining cognitive function through stimulation and engagement, while other technology can compensate for certain health challenges. However, as people delegate tasks to technology, it is important they maintain cognitive engagement through other activities, said Professor Antsey.
“We have examples from other areas, where, when people stop using particular cognitive skills, it’s like physical muscles that atrophy.”
Where people once memorised dozens of phone number contacts, smartphones have eliminated that need, she said. “If we outsource aspects of our thinking and problem solving to AI, we need to compensate and have other activities to engage our brain and ensure that we keep mentally active and don’t lose those cognitive skills.”
Planning for a longer life
Given these inevitable aging shifts, Australians need to rethink retirement planning, savings, and how they balance paid work with unpaid contributions through caring, volunteering, and community participation.
People in older age groups already contribute through minding grandchildren, participating in clubs, running sports organisations, and serving on boards.
Cognitive health will move to the centre of how Australia thinks about ageing, predicts Professor Anstey. “We haven’t fully recognised the importance of the brain and cognition for ageing, but most people want to have their memory of who they are and have good cognition.”
This could involve integrating brain health checks into Medicare from midlife onward, alongside addressing factors that impact long-term cognitive health, including childhood nutrition and education, as well as the food industry’s role in promoting ultra-processed products over fresh food.
“You may not see a short-term effect, but over 20, 30, 40, 50 years, these things are affecting our health and our cognitive health,” she said.
UNSW podcast Smarter ageing: Living longer is reshaping how we live and work with UNSW Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey is accessible here
