Most of us don’t think seriously about ageing until something goes wrong. A fall. A health scare. A sudden loss of confidence or independence. But the truth is this: how well we age at 65 is shaped by the choices, habits, and support we have in place decades earlier.
Healthy ageing isn’t about chasing perfection or avoiding ageing altogether. It’s about understanding how your health works as a connected system, and taking small, informed actions early that protect your independence, confidence, and quality of life later.
At Brightly, we call this whole-of-person wellbeing. And it’s what we wish everyone understood about 65 when they were 45.
As we age, changes rarely happen in isolation. A small loss of balance can affect confidence walking outdoors. Poor sleep can reduce cognitive sharpness. Untreated hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal. Medication issues can cause confusion or increase the risk of falls.
These ripple effects show how deeply connected our health systems are.
As geriatrician Dr Cheryl Johnson explains:
“A geriatrician looks at the whole of the person. We don’t just look at the heart or the lungs – we look at everything, from the top all the way down, to give that holistic view.”
A whole-of-person approach to healthy ageing helps us:
By understanding and supporting all aspects of health together, ageing becomes something we can optimise, not just manage.
Rather than focusing on ageing as a checklist of problems to solve later, our multidisciplinary team encourages practical, evidence‑based habits you can start now. These are the insights they most wish people understood at 45.
Dietitian Dr Helen Gibbs sees the long‑term impact of decades of dieting.
“The legacy of multiple dieting attempts is often low muscle mass, poor bone health and distress around food and body image. When I speak with people over 65, I’m often unpicking years of misinformation. We need to think about strength over being skinny.”
Her key ‘be strong’ foundations:
Geriatrician Dr Cheryl Johnson puts it simply:
“What you do now has a significant impact as you age – so look after your body and your brain.”
That means regular exercise, limiting alcohol, protecting your skin from sun damage, and staying on top of cardiovascular health and cancer screening. These everyday actions quietly compound into better ageing outcomes.
Occupational Therapist Dr Tim Dunn reminds us that ageing doesn’t mean disengaging from life.
“Growing older doesn’t mean you need to stop doing things – you might just need to change how you do them.”
He encourages people to see health as an investment:
“Investment in health and wellbeing at 45 pays dividends at 65. There’s only about 20 minutes – not years – between 45 and 65, and the same again from 65 to 85. Invest wisely.”
If there’s one message we wish people understood sooner, it’s this:
Healthy ageing isn’t about reacting to problems at 65. It’s about laying the groundwork decades earlier.
Small, proactive steps across all domains of health compound over time – protecting independence, confidence, and quality of life well into later years.
Ageing brightly isn’t about luck. It’s about informed action, early intervention, and the right support.
Ready to take the first step? Start building your personalised path to healthy ageing with a Brightly Baseline+ Assessment.