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The first healthcare revolution, the public health revolution of the 19th Century transformed health by the provision of clean clear water which led to the control of the infectious diseases that led the mortality tables in that century. The drivers of the first health revolution were strong government and science played its part although the critical move was made in London thirty years before the bacteria that caused cholera were even identified so it was more empiricism than science
The second revolution has been driven by science and has produced wonders in the last fifty years from cancer treatment to transplantation and that second revolution continues with genomic advances leading to molecular diagnosis and pharmacogenomics – precision medicine. However it is important for those providing clinical services to be aware that another revolution is taking place – the third healthcare revolution driven by three forces citizens, knowledge and the internet. Living longer better is based on the principle that we have already discovered an elixir of life, but not in a laboratory. That elixir of life is knowledge, consumed by learning. The science and evidence base of our work is summarised here but knowledge changes and evolves and for this reason we have developed a library. There are many types of knowledge and in living longer better we focus on three different types of knowledge:
These are general types of knowledge which are relevant in any part of the country or indeed in any country but there is also important local knowledge about the services and opportunities available in a locality or a hospital. Local knowledge is as important as general knowledge. Of central importance and understanding and communicating knowledge is the language used and for this reason we have also prepared this glossary. Living Longer Better provides Knowledge not Advice The knowledge about what is happening to us as we live longer is now clear. There are four inter-related processes:
The Living Longer Better system is based on the following principles:
Knowledge is the Elixir of Life best consumed by learning. Key sourcesThe research literature on ageing and living longer is huge but there are two journals which are particularly useful to keep an eye on:
Relevant articles may appear in any journal and there are thousands of journals. It is therefore important to look not just at single articles but at a type of article called a systematic review. A systematic review is composed by:
The Cochrane Collaboration was set up to promote the science of systematic reviews and you might also want to consult the Cochrane Collaboration website. There are in addition a number of organisations which produce knowledge up updates regularly, notably:
Books Books remain of vital importance and there is a growing number of books about ageing, of both body and mind. You can see some of those on our Living Longer Better bookshelf here. Librarians The most valuable resource in any library is the librarian (even if the library has the Magna Carta you could not find it without the skill of a librarian). Local authority libraries are doing excellent work not only to make knowledge available only on the shelves but also in communities. It is better to talk about library services rather than just talking about libraries which gives the impression that the real estate is what matters most. Librarians are vitally important in enabling people to live longer better. |
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Essential reading
Key reference documents
Physical Fitness
Disease
Brain and Mind
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