Kota Kinabalu: Healthy ageing should not be treated as something that begins only when a person reaches old age, but as a lifelong process shaped by decisions, prevention and the ability to remain connected, said Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) Organising Chairman Dr Wong Teck Wee.
Speaking at the opening of the 11th Malaysian Conference on Healthy Ageing (MCHA 2026) at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here on Friday, Dr Wong said Malaysia’s transition into an ageing society had made it increasingly important to focus not only on lifespan, but also on healthspan.
He said people were living longer, but the number of years spent in good health and functional independence did not necessarily increase at the same pace.
“We are living longer lifespan, but unhealthy lifespan where we have a shorter healthspan. So live long, but the active health is short,” he said.
Dr Wong said healthy ageing should therefore be viewed as a continuous journey “from womb to tomb”, rather than as preparation that begins only once a person becomes elderly.
He challenged participants to consider a simple question: “When a person dies, what do they look like?”, before arguing that the answer is ultimately shaped by the choices an individual makes throughout life, including decisions relating to smoking, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle habits.
“When you die, you look like your decisions, the choices that you make,” he said.
Dr Wong said prevention must consequently become a central pillar of healthy ageing, stressing that people should not wait until diseases become advanced before taking action.
He said prevention should begin when a person has no disease, through healthy lifestyles and appropriate screening, as early intervention becomes increasingly difficult once diseases progress.
As a cardiologist and physician, Dr Wong also called for healthcare professionals to look beyond prescribing medication and consider the wider circumstances affecting a patient’s health, including diet, sleep, exercise, water intake, environment and stress.
“If you are a doctor that prescribes medicine without first asking about your diet, your sleeping habits, your exercise routine, your water intake, and your environmental structural issues or stress levels, then you are not seeing a doctor. You are seeing a drug dealer,” he said.
He said the challenge of healthy ageing also extended beyond clinical treatment, highlighting the importance of community participation and continued learning among older people.
Dr Wong cited the Health Enhancing Program for Older Person (HEPOP), a community-based pilot programme involving about 80 participants, as an example of how older people could remain engaged through structured health-enhancing activities and volunteerism.
The programme carried the message “I am not OLD, I can learn”, reflecting the need to challenge the perception that ageing means withdrawing from learning, activity and community life.
He said the approach was particularly important in addressing what are known as the geriatric giants, including immobility, falls, incontinence, intellectual impairment, iatrogenesis, frailty, isolation, impaired senses and malnutrition, all of which can significantly affect the health and independence of older persons.
Dr Wong also emphasised the importance of social and human connection, demonstrated through his introduction of Basic Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) during his opening address.
He taught participants simple signs such as “wake up” and “terima kasih”, explaining that communication could become increasingly important as people lose hearing or other senses with age.
“This is a human connection, which is very important when you grow old,” he said.
He also shared findings from surveys involving older persons on the factors contributing to happiness in later life, identifying health, financial independence, social connection and time, alongside spiritual strength as an important source of lasting peace and happiness.
Dr Wong said spiritual strength could help people maintain a sense of peace and purpose even when health, finances, family support or time were limited.
He said the two-day MCHA 2026, themed “Revolutionising Healthy Ageing”, was intended to move the conversation beyond medical and surgical intervention by bringing together knowledge on prevention, community health and the wider social dimensions of ageing.
He said the conference should ultimately help shift the focus from simply adding years to life towards ensuring those additional years were lived with health, independence, dignity, purpose and quality.