What is the Intrinsic Capacity approach to ageing and how can it help cut dementia risk?
Intrinsic Capacity focuses on what people can and cannot do as they get older to help them make lifestyle changes to offset weaknesses
A new approach to ageing developed in Australia could influence how older people are supported – at home, in the community, by policymakers and through technology.
Intrinsic Capacity, as it is called, takes a holistic view of health, a more complete picture of overall well-being. It measures cognition, mobility, psychological health, sensory function – including vision and hearing – and vital capacity. It also takes frailty into account.
Katya Numbers, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales and whose work focuses on modifiable lifestyle factors associated with increased risk of dementia, explains the inspiration behind Intrinsic Capacity.
“We were motivated to shine a light on a more positive approach to ageing,” she says – one that focuses on what older people can do, rather than what they cannot or what they have lost. “It’s about measuring potential and resilience, not just disease.”
