Ageing Well Public Talks Series 2025-2026

<p><br></p><p dir="ltr"><b>SEASON 7 - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26</b></p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">In the 'Ageing Well Public Talk series' we are exploring how important it is, over our lifespan, to maintain well-balanced nutrition and hydration as well as regular physical and social activity in older age, also known as the 'Five Pillars for Ageing Well'. Ageing demonstrates most significantly when we reach a certain age, the usual benchmark being 65+, but ageing starts much sooner and the way ageing demonstrates when we are over 65 depends on decisions, we have been making over our life span.</p><p dir="ltr">The series and related materials such as ‘The Five Pillars for Ageing Well Public Talks Series' became the cornerstone of further engagement with the public, specifically around COVID-19 and the relating self-isolation, which are now available on the OU website and the Internet.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">The overall aim of these series of interventions is to facilitate a step change in user behaviour and support service provision. Self-management and becoming partner in our own health care is an important aspect of these talks. This may have a wider impact in healthcare economies, as ageing and related co-morbidities have a substantial health and economic burden footprint.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Dr Jitka Vseteckova developed the Five Pillars for Ageing Well model and has been presenting the ‘Ageing Well’ Lecture Series in collaboration with the University of the third age (u3a) and Free Time University overseas and more recently with primary care practices in the UK. Currently also collaborating with <a href="https://www.ageuk.org.uk/miltonkeynes/about-us/" target="_blank"><u>Age UK MK</u></a>, Public Health Northamptonshire, Carers MK, <a href="https://www.ukemed.com/" target="_blank"><u>UKeMED & Cambridge Medical Academy</u></a>, East of England Academic Health Science Network and the and <a href="https://vhscotland.org.uk/event/ageing-well-virtual-talk-with-the-open-university/" target="_blank"><u>Voluntary Health Scotland</u></a> on delivering ‘Ageing Well Public Talks’.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">All talks last between 60-90 minutes on Wednesdays from 11-12.30pm UK time. A synopsis for each talk is contained in this document. Click on the title of the talk to see the recording and access the PowerPoint slides for the presentation.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3973&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Are we ready to live longer and age well and why we need to look after ourselves, especially when providing care for others. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 1 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr">Jitka will introduce the Ageing Well Public Talks Series and as part of it we will explore why is it<br>important to think and discuss about ageing. We will discuss some most common age-related<br>conditions such as osteoporosis, frailty, and how hormonal changes associate with ageing may affect<br>us. We will look into how we might want to think about ageing and preventing ill health, self-manage<br>better and keep our health and wellbeing for longer. Jitka will also give a brief overview of the most<br>recent 4 nations public health campaign Take Five to Age Well.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3974&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Social touch and experience of using and working with the NHS: Good in parts. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 2 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part One: Social touch</b> Susannah will explore the benefits of social touch and its impact on well-being. Positive social, tactile interactions support our well-being, a lack of physical contact is detrimental to both our physical and mental health.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part Two: Working with the NHS: ‘</b><b><i>Good in parts’</i></b></p><p dir="ltr">Alan will share his experiences with Diabetes type 2 and his mother's care, emphasising the importance of NHS staff and the positive impact they can make to patients.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3975&s=31" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><b>Imposterism: wellbeing, mental health and ageing. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 3 - Berrill Stadium</b></a><br><br></p><p dir="ltr">Imposter Phenomenon (IP) refers to the feeling of inadequacy or self-doubt, where individuals believe they are not good enough or dismiss compliments as undeserved. This session explores how IP manifests in work and life, its impact on mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, low self-confidence), and strategies to address it. Participants will reflect on recognising IP in themselves or others and learn approaches to improve mental health and wellbeing. While not diagnostic, the session provides insights into IP and practical ways to mitigate its effects.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3977&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Green Social Prescribing and the importance of any exercise when ageing - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 4 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part One: Green Social Prescribing</b> Kate Ellis will discuss how green social prescribing supports ageing well, sharing experiences and case studies. Sonal Mehta will highlight collaborative action between sectors.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part Two: The Importance of Exercise as We Age</b> Charlotte and Rob will explore the role of exercise in healthy ageing, emphasising physical, emotional, and social benefits.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3978&s=31" target="_blank"><u>DADIMA walks: an amazing example of the Five Pillars for Ageing Well in action - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 5 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr">Geeta will share personal reflections on ageing, the Five Pillars, and how she has made changes to live a healthy, independent life. Geeta will go through the Five Pillars and share simple ways in which she has made changes and new choices over recent years, recognising that she is at a particular stage in her life, carrying a set of privileges that her younger self did not have, particularly knowledge in relation to 'wellbeing'.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3979&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Have your say in health care ways you can make your voice heard. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 6 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr">In this talk Marianne will present an overview of where and how to make your voice heard in the NHS health care system as a service user. She will invite a service user representative, expert by experience, who will share their direct experience of influencing some of the ways the NHS works.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3980&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Different ways of experiencing Take Five to Age Well via Haringey Experiential Festival and offline pledging with Age Scotland. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 7 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part One: Haringey Experiential Festival</b> Doug and colleagues will share experiences working with older people in the community, supporting offline access to Take Five to Age Well.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Part Two: Age Well Experiential Festival</b> Ashley and her colleague will discuss creating an Age Well Experiential Festival in Haringey, promoting healthy ageing and supporting diverse communities.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3981&s=31" target="_blank"><u>My Silk Road Walk: a virtual walk of 6,000 miles from Xian, China to Venice, Italy. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 8 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Dave will share insights from his virtual walks, emphasising building a resilient musculoskeletal system and having fun. During the first year of the pandemic, Dave learned about someone doing a virtual cycle ride along route 66 and wondered if it might be walkable in one year. Inspired by a love of walking, travelling and learning Dave combined the physical activity with research into the locations and history of the routes. Starting on January 1st, 2021 Dave completed the walk on December 6 having walked 2,452 miles. After a friend suggested the Silk Road as his next challenge, Dave began the 6,300mile Silk Road walk on January 1st, 2022 finishing on September 6th, 2024.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3982&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Age Well to Care Well: Impact on carers health and caring role. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 9 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">In this talk Tony will talk about his 42 years in health and social; care and how this prepared him for caring and how he uses his experience of being a wellbeing manager to enable better hydration and nutrition for his mum. He will also discuss how the declining health of his parents made him take up exercise, eat more nutritionally and look at ways to change his health patterns. Tony will share insights into how being gay can also bring expectations about being a carer - “you do not have children mostly, you might have a good income and job and you are seen as having no real commitments so, this makes you ideal for caring, and to take on the family caring role”. But as Tony reflects, if you had a difficult coming out and your family might have been hostile and not very understanding, that is forgotten when they need you.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><br><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3983&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Promoting health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland NI: active ageing and Age-Friendly Networks. - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 10 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">The Policy Advice and Research Unit of the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland will share insights from their research on mental health and mental capacity legislation in Northern Ireland. The presentation will explore the legislation’s history, core principles, and its strong links to human rights. It will also examine how the law operates in practice, highlight potential risks, and identify areas for improvement. Most importantly, it will consider what the legislation means for all of us, how we can prepare for a future where we may lack capacity, and how we can use the law to safeguard ourselves and those we care about.</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=3984&s=31" target="_blank"><u>Reading as a hug for our brain! - Ageing Well Public Talks Series 25/26 - Talk 11 - Berrill Stadium</u></a></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Sinead will share how the brain is a complex yet wonderful organ and has the power to change how you feel about yourself and others. Reading is a tool that can be used to enhance connectivity in the brain, reduce stress, promote relaxation, improve sleep, and has the potential to decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's. Think of reading as one of those tools that will make you feel like you are “hugging your brain.”</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>