Building a Blue Zone for Healthy Ageing

2. Physical and Mental Health

Topic 5 of 6

What is a Blue Zone?

According to researcher Dan Buettner, there are five zones in the world he calls Blue Zones, where people live longer, happier, and healthier lives.

Common lifestyle factors include physical activity that’s a part of everyday life, fresh food, putting family ahead of other concerns, and being socially active and integrated into the community.

Select each hotspot to explore Blue Zone places, then select the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Quality of life

Living longer, healthier and happier lives can be linked to factors we already recognise, the things we do everyday. The ‘Blue Zone’ message is to keep doing those things and to stay part of the Village.

Select the headings to learn more.

Keep Moving

Maintain exercise in your daily life, such as gardening, walking, washing, and putting the bins out. Try bending, stretching, and strengthening as part of everyday life.

In other words, you don’t have to take up aerobics to maintain physical health – unless it suits you.

Sleep

Sleep well. Sleep when you need for as long as you need to.

A sense of purpose

Having a sense of purpose and usefulness gives meaning to our lives.

Strong family and community support

Strong social connections and close community ties give us continuity or a feeling of belonging. Elders can be included in every part of life and respected for their life experience. Hold them in esteem – include and consult in everyday life.

The pursuit of happiness

It’s not all about the body, it is also about the heart.

There are more ways we can help our elders than measuring their health and fitness. Sometimes we forget to have fun with them. Visits can become all about helping and monitoring and caring, rather than just normal interactions between people who love each other. Sometimes we should just care about them rather than for them.

Select ‘Play’ to view

Read the video transcript

Narrator:
Perhaps one of the most important factors in healthy old age is to feel connected to others, such as family, friends, carers and community.

Narrator:
Take the time to chat, to listen, to share, to learn, to care and to make eye contact.

Narrator:
Let’s ask our elders what makes them happy.

Speaker 1:
The one thing that makes me happy is having my family around me—to come and visit and take me places. That’s all. I’m happy then.

Speaker 2:
I think it’s important to keep engaged in social activities.

Speaker 3:
I enjoy regular exercise, which I find very important to me. It keeps me focused, fit and happy.

Speaker 4:
Things that make me happy are socialisation, being active, still being able to have a bit of a party session now and then, have a bit of a dance and a rave, and enjoy friends’ company over a few wines and decent food.

Speaker 4:
The fact that I can still do that is what makes me happy.

Be part of our community

Caring for another person is rewarding and can give us a sense of purpose but can also be stressful and have emotional and physical impacts.

Carer Gateway understands that social connection can be a significant issue for not only the person cared for but also the carer. The 2024 National Carer Survey results show that 40% of carers felt socially isolated resulting in low levels of wellbeing. Go to the Resources section to view a ‘snapshot’. In response, Carer Gateway has been created to help carers connect. Carer Gateway is delivered by Care2Serve in Tasmania.