Be Healthy Spring 2016

behealthy The Magazine for the Benenden Community | Spring 2016 Issue 34 | www.benenden.co.uk

‘I SIMPLY WANT KIDS TO ENJOY SPORT’ Judy Murray on pu!ing the fun back into fitness

Win!

GOURMET GADGETS WORTH

£1,000

STEP TO IT

Why walking will help you live longer

Live life w el l

Enjoy an active life without hip or knee problems Members all-inclusive package price

£7,785*

Get on and enjoy life with a hip or knee replacement Your busy life is put on hold when you need a hip or knee replacement.

you back on your feet as quickly as possible, you’ll be supported by a rapid recovery programme.

Everyday activities you enjoy, such as walking, driving, weekends away, golf and sports, can quickly become a thing of the past.

You can also rest assured that we have rigorous infection control systems in place to keep you safe from hospital acquired Bacteraemia or Septicaemia MRSA or C-diff** – we’ve had no cases since 2002.

At Benenden Hospital you can see an experienced specialist consultant right away. Your operation is performed in a state-of-the-art theatre. Your stay is in a comfortable en-suite room. Your care is in the hands of highly trained and compassionate staff. And, to get

* Hip or knee replacement is not available as part of Benenden membership, members do however receive an exclusive discount off the full private patient price. This offer is only available for treatment undertaken at Benenden Hospital in Kent.

See www.benendenhospital.org.uk for the latest information on discounts for Benenden members. **As specified by the Department of Health. The Benenden Hospital Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England, number 3454120.

Registered charity number 1065995. Registered office, The Benenden Hospital Trust, Goddard’s Green Road, Benenden, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 4AX

And, just yards away, Peek Lodge Hotel, offers comfortable accommodation for your visitors.

All of which means that you’ll be back, doing what you enjoy with family and friends in no time at all.

Find out more today 01580 242 521 www.benendenhospital.org.uk

behealthy

We l c o m e

Welcome to Be Healthy, our new-look member magazine.

We hope you will enjoy its fresh design and wider range of content, based on research into our members’ views on how we can broaden its appeal.

I’d also like to take the opportunity to wish all our members and their nominees a happy and prosperous New Year. Thank you for your continued support of our Society, now At Benenden, we are more successful than ever in its 111th year.

If you or your family have been affected by the focused on your floods over the holidays, I sincerely hope you are health and wellbeing all well. Our own services in York are back to normal after a short interruption due to significant local flooding. I’m pleased to say our employees are fine.

Looking back on 2015 we’ve achieved much. We helped a record number of our 900,000 strong community with a diverse range of health and wellbeing needs and remained the most trusted private health provider in the UK – for the fifth year SIR MUIR GRAY running. This is a great testament to the high standards of A public health champion, Sir Muir service our staff dedicate themselves to providing. pioneered breast and cervical In 2016 we will focus on further improving our core health cancer screening in the UK service and in particular widening the number of hospitals and Fact He was knighted in 2005 clinical facilities our members can receive treatment in. We will for services to the NHS continue to monitor and refine the new diagnosis service where members no longer need to pay upfront for tests or a consultation. The feedback from members so far has been MELANIE REID overwhelmingly positive, auguring well for the future.

An acclaimed journalist, Reid was We will also be promoting the recently introduced home left paralysed after a riding insurance service and there’s now a special 15% member discount accident in 2010 Fact Reid writes the award-winning available. Many thousands of members already purchase travel Spinal Column for The Times insurance through Benenden and we hope you will consider us for your home insurance needs too. Our aim is to provide a selected range of health and general insurance services that our EDWYN COLLINS members need and value now and into the future.

SHUTTERSTOCK, CHRIS BLOTT, MURDO MACLEOD, ELAINE LIVINGSTONE

Inside this issue

The songwriter who gained global recognition with A Girl Like You talks about life after two strokes Fact Collins’ first UK top 40 hit was Rip It Up in 1983, with Orange Juice

Marc Bell Chief executive officer, Benenden

Step into spring

1

2

3

GOING COSTAL Boscastle’s increasingly popular walking festival in April features coastline walks and strolls among woods and streams. boscastlefestival.co.uk

EASY RIDERS The 40-mile London to Reading Bike Ride is a sociable way to raise money in the fight against heart disease. bhf.org.uk

BRISTOL FASHION Bristol’s annual walking festival in May features more than 150 of the best walks in and around the city. bristolwalkingfestival.co.uk

Ge t in touch

We’d love to know what you think about the new magazine. Email us at behealthy@ benenden.co.uk with your thoughts

www.benenden.co.uk 1

Place your home in safe hands 15%† discount for Benenden members

Protect your home with the brand you trust Protecting you is at the heart of everything we do Your home is the extension of you - it’s where your memories are made and your valuables are kept. So like your health, we know how precious your home is and how important it is to protect at the right price Cover that’s right for your home and you We’ve made it easy for you to personalise your home insurance. Whether you choose buildings, contents or both combined, our quality home insurance comes in two levels. Plus you can choose optional add-ons like Technology & Entertainment cover to suit the lifestyle you lead.

Here are just a few reasons to choose Benenden Home Insurance: ąŗ 15% discount for Benenden members ąŗ 24 hour Home Emergency Assistance as standard ąŗ Optional Technology & Entertainment cover away from home ąŗ Optional Legal Protection cover ąŗ Financial help if you can’t live in your home due to an insured loss as standard

Get in touch today for your personalised quote 0800 414 8560*

www.benenden.co.uk/ healthyhome quote HOMEBEN2

†The 15% promotional discount is available to all Benenden members who quote HOMEBEN2 when taking out a home insurance policy. Standard Policy eligibility criteria and minimum premiums apply. Available to new customers only. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Specialist Home cover is not included. *Lines are open 9am - 7pm, Monday to Friday and 9am - 5pm on Saturday.

Please note that your call may be recorded for our mutual security and also for training and quality purposes. Benenden is a trading name of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited and its subsidiaries. Benenden Home Insurance is offered by Benenden Wellbeing Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FS Register No 593286). Benenden Wellbeing Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited. Benenden Wellbeing Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No 08271017). Registered Office: Holgate Park Drive, York, YO26 4GG. The policy is underwritten

by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc. (no. 93792). Registered in England and Wales at St Mark’s Court, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1XL. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. The policy is arranged and administered by Hood Group Ltd (no. 3139744). Registered in England and Wales at 1st Floor Maitland House, Warrior Square, Southend on Sea, Essex SS1 2JY. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reference no. 616402).

ADV/HOMEBEN/JWL_BEN0455/01.16/V1

behealthy Published for the Benenden Healthcare Society by Think.

This magazine is also available in Braille, large print and on audio CD. Editorial Board Group Marketing Director Lawrence Christensen Head of Communications Paul Keenan Media Relations Manager Neil Barnes Senior Acquisition Manager Natalie Walker Group Head of Marketing Jules Titheridge

Ge t rea dy

Benenden Telephone 0800 414 7599* benenden.co.uk

SPRING 2016

HEALTH CHECK 04 FAMILY EATING HABITS IN THE DOCK Why we’re eating too much sugar and salt in the UK 10 EDWYN COLLINS The pop star on his recovery from two strokes 11 BENCH TEST How do your favourite snacks stack up?

LIFE

Editor Kathleen Morgan behealthy@benenden.co.uk 0141 375 0504 Contributing Editors Jane Druker, Matthew Rock, Siân Phillips Group Art Director Matthew Ball Sub-editors Sam Bartlett, Kirsty Fortune Editorial Assistant Jonathan McIntosh Advertising Sales Sonal Mistry sonal.mistry@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7247 Partnerships Director Helen Rosemier Group Account Director John Innes john.innes@thinkpublishing.co.uk

20 JUDY MURRAY The tennis coach gives top tips for everyday fitness 22 FIRST PERSON Melanie Reid on paralysis, promises and self-protection 26 10 WELLBEING WEBSITES Balancing your lifestyle is just a click away 28 HEALTH HERO The Scot who’s helped feed one million children 32 INSIDE STORY Meet a Benenden contact centre adviser

Think 8th Floor, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH 020 3771 7200 thinkpublishing.co.uk

YOUR BENENDEN

© Benenden Healthcare Society.

Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The view expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Benenden. All advertising is accepted in good faith and no endorsement should be inferred; neither should the presence of any Benenden business’s logo in a promotion (as part of a commercial arrangement with a selected partner) be construed as an endorsement. Please check any medical or dietary advice with your own doctor.

35 RENÉ FRAIOLI Why democracy is at the heart of Benenden 39 CONTACT BENENDEN Key contact information for Benenden services

Circulation 355,209 (1 Jan to 30 June 2015) ABC

I’m passionate about the value of exercise, particularly for children

*Please note, calls may be recorded for our mutual security and also for training and quality purposes.

PAGE 20

behealthy healthy 88 The Magazine for the Benenden Community | Spring 2016 Issue 34 | www.benenden.co.uk

Live life well

‘I SIMPLY WANTCopy KIDSeerwekrhw TO ENJOY SPORT’ Judy Murray on pu!ing the fun back into fitness

Win!

Find us online www.benenden.co.uk Plus keep up to date with all the latest news on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+

GOURMET GADGETS WORTH

£1,000

STEP TO IT

Why walking will help you live longer

COVER STORY Judy Murray talks about her passion for all-age fitness www.benenden.co.uk 3

health check ]News you can use i

64% of calories eaten by primary school children come from ultra-processed foods

47%

of calories eaten by primary school children come from foods high in salt, sugar and fat

UK family eating habits in the dock

Report condemns the diet of the average British family 4 Be Healthy Spring 2016

The average British family eats far too much sugar and salt – and not enough fibre, fruit and vegetables – according to a report published this month.

Almost half of the calories eaten by UK primary school children come from foods high in salt, sugar and fat, with two thirds from ultra-processed foods such as crisps, sweets and biscuits.

More than two thirds of adults, secondary and primary school children exceed recommended intakes of sugar,

salt and saturated fat, reveals the report by the think tank The Food Foundation.

The research into UK family diets focuses on the eating habits of adults and children living in households with a gross income of £37,000– £52,000. Parents in these families would have a range of occupations, including administrator, teacher, health professional and builder.

On average, family members had adequate intakes of most vitamins, but 22% of adult women and 48% of secondary

£2m scanners to speed up diagnosis £45m masterplan progresses at Benenden Hospital

MORE THAN

75%

of adults, secondary school children and primary school pupils fail to get their five a day

90% of adults and secondary school children are not eating enough fibre

The vision of creating a diagnostic centre of excellence at Benenden Hospital moved closer after £2m was invested in state-of-the-art scanners.

New on-site CT and MRI scanners, to be housed in a refurbished imaging department, are a focus of the £45m masterplan for the Kent hospital.

John Giles, medical director and consultant radiologist at Benenden Hospital, said: “getting an early diagnosis and rapid access to MRI and CT scanning is one of the leading reasons members join our Society.”

Although Benenden members are already able to access a wide range of scans from existing mobile services, Dr Giles is keen to increase capacity and improve quality.

“These new machines will ensure access to advanced scanning and Hospital medical director John Giles

school girls aged 11 to 18 years had iron intakes below recommended levels.

The Food Foundation revealed most of the food bought by the average British family to eat at home comes from major supermarkets.

Price was a key influence in the products chosen by family consumers.

The report stated: “With the exception of key staple items, unhealthy foods are generally cheaper calorie for calorie.

VAT is applied without taking into account the nutritional

Under construction

diagnostic facilities for our members as well as to other private patients and can also help out overstretched NHS hospitals in the local area” he said.

“Although we already provide peace of mind and are able to diagnose a huge range of conditions, the new equipment will ensure that we can offer these services more promptly and, with the machines on site 24/7, it is much easier to extend the working week. The increased number of scans will ultimately make the existing process more cost effective”.

quality of the food so can be applied to unhealthy and healthy items.”

The report highlighted supermarket promotions as another major influence on the food-buying habits of the average British family.

It noted: “There is evidence promotions are steering us towards unhealthy foods and leading us to buy more sugary foods than we otherwise would.”

For further information visit foodfoundation.org.uk

How the new hospital will look

www.benenden.co.uk 5

healthcheck David Cameron locks horns with Andrew Neil from The Spectator

Rewards

DISCOUNTED TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR MEMBERS Whether you’re planning a city break, a cruise or a beach getaway with family, friends or on your own, Benenden has your holiday covered.

Members can receive up to 15% discount on Benenden Travel Insurance. For more information and to get your discount code, please visit www.benenden.co.uk/ healthytravel

THE WINNER? ME? Top UK politicians were celebrated at The Spectator Parliamentarian Awards 2015, sponsored by Benenden. David Cameron, the prime minister, won parliamentarian of the

year, while former deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman won the lifetime achievement award. Benenden chief executive Marc Bell attended the event, as did top journalists including Radio 4’s Nick Robinson.

Harriet Harman MP and Nick Robinson

Improved psychological wellbeing service

6 Be Healthy Spring 2016

for support as a core element of the service, with no need for them to select the most appropriate therapy and find a qualified practitioner.

The service, launched in December 2015, consists of:

more holistic psychological wellbeing offer.

With this in mind, Insight Healthcare has been selected to provide the revised service, removing the need for members to source and pay for their own treatment.

Members will be given a recommendation and referral

Psychological wellbeing helpline • a 24-hour helpline led by trained and experienced therapists • triage and assessment service • signposting back to the relevant service and/or the member’s own GP Psychological wellbeing treatment Members will be assessed and

provided with a range of interventions based on clinical need which can be delivered in the following ways: • telephone • secure web chat • email • computerised programmes • face to face Benenden will now pay the cost of treatment directly to the provider, removing the need for members to find money upfront and submit invoices.

The improved offering has addressed all the feedback received and will ensure Benenden members are fully supported when accessing this service.

ANITA JEAN STEWART/SPECTATOR, HUAN TRAN (IKON)

Benenden has launched an improved psychological wellbeing service following member feedback.

Research had revealed some members were deterred from using the service, as they had to select their own model of therapy and accredited therapist. They also disliked having to pay for treatment upfront and submitting invoices to reclaim the cost.

A commitment was made

by Benenden to improve the support of members with mental health concerns and it was agreed in February 2015 the existing service would be remodelled to provide a

Promotion

Give it your best shot The NutriBullet’s benefits have got Rick Hay all fired up

Competition

Win a NutriBullet AND A VIP TRIP TO THE IDEAL WORLD TV STUDIOS

10

At Ideal World, we’ve been bringing our customers the latest quality products on TV and online since 2000. We’re particularly passionate about health and fitness and, along with our expert health gurus, aim to offer products that will help you become a healthier, fitter, better version of yourself without the fuss.

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU New year often means diets, exercise routines and attempts to hide any leftover Christmas chocolate. In today’s world, where convenience is king, the time, effort and money required to sustain our new year’s resolutions often sees them falling apart before January is even over.

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Our health guru Rick Hay explains how they can help: “Healthy eating and good fitness levels are fundamental to human health. We were not designed to be sedentary or eat a diet made up predominantly of processed foods. The NutriBullet is a fantastic way of delivering raw coloured foods into our diet and doesn’t throw away the fibre like a lot of other juices and smoothies.

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Ideal World is offering one reader the chance to win a VIP Ideal World experience including an expenses paid trip to the channel’s studios. The winner will have the opportunity to peek behind the scenes of the live TV show, meet the presenters and have a session with Ideal World’s Rick Hay who will give you some personal nutritional advice. Accommodation and lunch will be included.

PLUS the winner, and ten runners up, will receive a goody bag including a Nutribullet bundle.

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VISIT www.idealworld.tv and enter the code 730218 at the checkout

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www.benenden.co.uk 7

healthcheck WHAT IS PTNS THERAPY?

Food for thought

Electrical impulses are used to alter bladder activity

Feeling peckish? Check out the figures before you reach for a snack BANANA Calories ................ 110kcal Sugar ............................. 19g Salt .............................. trace Protein ............................ 1g Fat ................................... 0g

DORITOS A palm-sized device controls150kcal the Calories ................ impulses 1g Sugarelectrical ...............................

Salt ............................. 0.42g Protein ............................ 2g Fat .................................... 8g

CASHEW NUTS Calories ................ 149kcal Sugar ............................ 1.2g Salt .............................. trace Protein ........................ 4.6g Fat .................................. 11g

The no-messing snack with a biodegradable wrapper. Beat that

Crunchily compulsive, especially during quiet movie moments

Rich in vitamins and minerals, but deceptively high in fat, too

Sacral plexus

A palm-sized device controls the electrical impulses

New treatment offers hope

Electrical impulses used to combat bladder problems

For the three to six million people in the UK who experience urinary incontinence, a treatment offered at Benenden Hospital could be the solution.

Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) involves inserting a small needle into the ankle and using gentle electrical impulses to stimulate the sacral plexus – a group of nerves at the base of the spine that controls bladder activity.

Steve Garnett, SNICKERS Calories ................ 245kcal Sugar .......................... 21.7g Salt ............................. 0.21g Protein ........................ 4.5g Fat .............................. 13.4g

COOKIE Calories ................ 199kcal Sugar ............................. 17g Salt ............................. 0.19g Protein ........................ 2.3g Fat ................................. 9.1g

Less fattening than you might think, but hard to put down

It’s got nuts in it … could it be healthy? Taste beats logic with this one

High in calories but very hard to say no to, especially with a cuppa

FIGURES STATED ABOVE REFER TO A STANDARD SERVING OF EACH SNACK. STATISTICS RELATE TO THE FOLLOWING BRANDS: DORITOS (COOL FLAVOUR) 30g serving, CO-OPERATIVE SALT AND SWEET POPCORN 20g serving, SNICKERS 48g serving, CO-OPERATIVE TRULY IRRESISTIBLE MILK CHOC COOKIE, 25g serving

8 Be Healthy Spring 2016

Fast fact

Drinking two or more glasses of sweetened drinks per day is linked to an increased risk of heart failure

ALAN DONALDSON, RICHARD PALMER

POPCORN Calories ................... 78kcal Sugar ............................... 3g Salt .................................. 0g Protein ............................ 1g Fat .................................... 3g

consultant urological surgeon at Benenden Hospital, said: “There is a group of patients who don’t respond to medical treatment, such as tablets, or might not be happy with side effects, while Botox injections don’t work for everyone.

“PTNS would be offered to those who would benefit from something somewhere between tablets and Botox, or surgery.

It has proven results in appropriately selected patients.”

Get off to a healthy start in 2016 Health Assessments from just

£99

Get a comprehensive health assessment from Benenden As a Benenden member your health and wellbeing is our priority Nothing is more important to us than your health, so why not make a healthy start to 2016 with one of our thorough health assessments. Having plenty of time with a doctor can help you to get on track, feel revitalised and perform to your best in 2016 and beyond.

Benenden’s wide range of health assessments have been designed to give you a detailed understanding of your health and lifestyle, with the emphasis on prevention rather than cure.

What will you receive during and after your health assessment?

You will receive advice based on your consultation and results along with recommendations for changes to your lifestyle.

After your health assessment you’ll receive a full health report and you’ll also benefit from expert advice on maintaining and improving your wellbeing, both now and for the future.

Ranging from £99 to £499 there are five levels of health assessments to choose from. Key elements of our health assessments include: • Medical & Lifestyle Questionnaire • Blood Pressure • Body Composition • Cholesterol Profile • Diabetes Risk • Cardiovascular Risk Score • Kidney & Liver Analysis • Thyroid & Liver Analysis • Bowel Cancer Indicator

Find out more and book today!

0800 414 8486*

www.benenden.co.uk/stayhealthy quote HABENHEAL

*Please note that your call may be recorded for security and training and quality purposes. Lines are open 8am – 7pm Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays). Benenden is a trading name of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited and its subsidiaries. Benenden Health Assessments are offered by Benenden Wellbeing Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited. Benenden Wellbeing Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No 08271017). Registered Office: Benenden Wellbeing Limited, Holgate Park Drive, York, YO26 4GG. Benenden Health assessments are provided by BMI Healthcare Limited and ToHealth Limited. BMI Healthcare Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No 2164270). Registered office: 3 Paris Garden, Southwark, London, SE1 8ND. ToHealth Limited trading as Screenetics is registered in England and Wales (Company No 5107064). Registered office: 33 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0TT.

healthcheck

My experience

I’M THANKFUL TO GRACE FOR PUSHING ME

LIFE AND TIMES EDWYN COLLINS

Musician Edwyn Collins has rebuilt his life with his wife after a life-changing illness. He speaks to Teddy Jamieson

Edwyn Collins remembers little about his time in hospital after the two major strokes that left him unable to walk or talk. But then, he does not really want to remember.

“Let’s not talk about that,” he says. “I’ve put it behind me.”

What the former front man of the 1980s pop band Orange Juice does know is that, back then in 2003, his wife and manager, Grace Maxwell, was by his side.

Ten years on, she still is. In June, the couple left London to move to the coastal Sutherland town of Helmsdale. “My grandfather was born here. I was eight years old and spent the summer here,” Collins says.

Now he is starting a new life there. It is one that has been hard won. In the days after the strokes, Grace was not sure he would live, never mind recover. “Edwyn 10 Be Healthy Spring 2016

doesn’t have memories of some weeks before his illness really. And of the first weeks there’s no memory at all, mercifully really,” she says.

“I remember the tube,” adds Collins.

“Edwyn had a tracheostomy through which he was breathing for a while. And that was also delivering a lot of his medication.

“And you kept yanking it out,” she says to Collins. “He’d take his good left arm and when nobody was looking he’d pull the bloody thing out. The more he did that, the more it hurt putting it back in. I was tearing my hair out.”

When the immediate danger to Collins had passed, the work began to rebuild the man, to reclaim all that had been stripped from him – speech, memory, even

movement. It was bruising, repetitive work.

“I’m thankful to Grace for pushing me,” Collins says. “For many years she was cross with me for sitting at the table and saying ‘I’m not going to do this’. She’d say ‘you are going to do this, Edwyn. I insist you are’.”

“This is a nice picture he’s painting,” Grace says, adding: “It could get quite ugly. We did it together. I couldn’t have got there if Edwyn didn’t want to really. It was a struggle, but it had to be done. And it was years of work.”

l 1959 Edwyn Stephen Collins is born in Edinburgh l 1979 Forms Orange Juice and co-founds indie label Postcard Records l 1983 Rip it Up is No 8 in the UK charts l 1986 Launches solo career l 1994 Achieves international success with the single A Girl Like You l 2005 Suffers two major strokes l 2015 Moves from London to his ancestral home of Helmsdale, Sutherland, and sets up a recording studio

43,900

Fact file

Extra time

Here’s how you might extend – or shorten – your life span*

– DEDUCT YEARS

+ ADD YEARS + 1.6

– 2.0

+ 1.4

– 7.3

+ 1.9

– 0.9

Eating one piece of fruit a day

Sitting for more than two hours a day

Eating four extra servings of fruit or veg a day

Smoking a pack of cigarettes per day

Being 11lb or more overweight

Exercising for 20 minutes a day

MAIN IMAGE: ELAINE LIVINGSTONE. INSERT: GETTY

Edwyn Collins with his wife, Grace Maxwell

It was worth it. Collins has problems with aphasia, leading to language difficulties, but it is not holding him back. He has just had a home studio built and has written 11 songs – a new album – ready to be recorded.

It will be the fourth album of original material released since his strokes.

What is striking is that through all those hard years, Collins never lost himself. “In the hospital, I was saying ‘I’m me inside myself’,” he recalls.

Grace agrees. “You kept saying: ‘I’m Edwyn, remember. I’m me.

I’m me.’ It was hard pinning a thought down. The one thing he was able to say was ‘I’m myself’.”

“Yes. It was strong in me.

‘I’m Edwyn. I’ve got to believe it.

I’m Edwyn.’”

He’s spent the last few years proving that to everyone else.

+ 0.5

– 6.5

+ 0.9

– 2.2

Having a BMI of more than 40

Add an extra 40 minutes’ exercise a day

Consuming one alcoholic drink a day

Having two or more alcoholic drinks a day

In numbers The estimated total of excess deaths in England and Wales during winter 2014/15 was 43,900 – the highest number in 15 years.

The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, showed most of the deaths involved people over the age of 75.

TOTAL YEARS

+ 6.3

TOTAL YEARS

– 18.9

* OVER A LIFETIME, ACCORDING TO A RANGE OF DIFFERENT STUDIES. SOURCES; BBC ONLINE, BMJ, PLOS MEDICINE, MEDICAL NEWS TODAY, NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGEING

HOSPITAL GETS THE THUMBS UP Benenden Hospital has been rewarded for its innovative approach to boosting the health and wellbeing of its staff.

The Investors in People Health and Wellbeing Award recognises work being done at the hospital to promote healthy eating, exercise, meditation, massage, and healthy hearts

Jack Harland, chair among its staff. The of the health and initiative, driven by the health and wellbeing group, said: “This is anand the wellbeing group, Jack Harland (right) Wellbeing even encourages Health and important awardGroup for us. employees to grow We are investing not fruit and vegetables only in new facilities in special plots. but in our people too.”

Jack Harland (right) and the health and wellbeing group www.benenden.co.uk 11

healthcheck At a glance

Our healthcare in numbers The vital statistics behind the award-winning healthcare provider Benenden

Ties with Bupa boost options As described in the winter edition of your member magazine, Benenden has entered into a relationship with Bupa for the administration of Benenden Personal Healthcare’s local diagnostic service and our existing cash plan products.

To ensure Benenden receives the best possible value for money, Bupa will provide administration for the treatment services available to you as a member of the Benenden Personal Healthcare product.

While the range of treatments on offer will remain the same, the process for accessing treatment services has changed.

Members who require treatment will

continue to be directed to our current 22 approved hospitals, but will now do so via the Bupa network.

All member interactions will still be with Benenden; the key difference is that members will be offered a choice of three consultants via the Bupa network from the most appropriate approved hospital.

This new service gives members the flexibility to take control and make their own appointments at their nearest network hospital easily and quickly.

Benenden will continue to manage the customer service relationship, and members will have increased flexibility and a wider choice, which will improve their healthcare experience.

Fast fact

Most UK consumers know they should eat healthy food, but 36% are unwilling to pay extra for it, says a YouGov survey 12 Be Healthy Spring 2016

Founded in

1905

More than

870,000 healthcare community members

Voted most trusted healthcare provider every year between 2011 and 2015 (MONEYWISE CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARDS)

15,834 referrals to Benenden Hospital in Kent

Local diagnostic services offered

39,620

Offered services

times

95,695 times to members, their family and friends

20,000 members have been with us for more than 50 years

24/7 GP advice lines were used New members are increasingly likely to be career-minded couples with young children

36,153 times

Average member age

53

Average age of new members

47

NUMBERS RELATE TO SERVICES PROVIDED IN 2014

362,225 member calls received

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There’s so much more to a P&O Cruises holiday. And with extra money to spend on board available on applicable Select Price holidays booked by 19 Feb 2016, there’s every reason to indulge that bit more.

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www.benenden.co.uk 13

NUTRITION

Downsize ... not supersize

The quickest way to healthy eating

Here’s how not to fill up on excess protein or carbs. Hover your hand over your plate with your fingers together. Your hand size is the portion size for both protein and carbs. The rest of your plate should be full of vegetables and salad in a variety of colours.

Alcohol intake

It is simpler than you think to put the bite back into your diet. Sally Bee, the TV nutritionist, tells how to pack your plate with goodness – and break those bad habits

I didn’t drink for many years, but now my health is stable I enjoy one glass of prosecco. It’s a ‘clean’ drink and I savour it. Two glasses are too many, so I stick to one.

WORDS JANE DRUKER

Coconuts are beautiful

However, I am not super into the coconut oil cooking trend, as it is extremely high in saturated fat and I trust my own body.

It’s too heavy for me to use in the kitchen.

BIOGRAPHY The creator of the healthy-eating plans on the ITV daytime show Lorraine, Sally Bee suffered three heart attacks when she was 36. The

14 Be Healthy Spring 2016

mother of three was later diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which occurs when the layers of a blood

vessel split. She survived against the odds and now attributes her health to a diet crammed with healthy food, from fish to berries.

Fruits not sweets

I always have a jam-packed fruit bowl at home and tell the kids to go there if they are hungry. Fruits are full of vitamins. They are our friends.

Balance is important

Go deep

There is no such thing as a demon food – look at your diet as a whole. Among the tricks to ensuring you eat what you need is keeping an eye on portion size. Plates in restaurants can be huge and we’re all confused about how much we should eat.

The vegetables and fruits with the deepest colours reflect the nutrients inside them, so inhale kale, and go big on broccoli, beets, tomatoes and richcoloured berries.

Meat-free Mondays

Red meat is essential for some who need the mix of iron and protein. Twice a week is fine, but cut off excess fat, and enjoy chicken and fish. I’m a fan of meat-free Mondays, which focus on upping your veg intake. Ensure you eat plenty of legumes, beans and leafy greens.

Smoothies are super

I love a smoothie, but only drink a small glass, using half veg, half fruit. The rest is water rather than fruit juice. I make smoothies with half kale and courgette, half pineapple and mango. The rest is sparkling water.

Sometimes these replace my breakfast and I’ll eat a handful of almonds to fill me up.

Herbs and spices

I call these the flavour saviour. They make healthy food delicious, and replace fat, sugar and salt as the perfect tasteenhancing additions.

Be gluten aware

Burst that bubble

Processed food and fizzy drinks are empty calories. It’s fine to indulge occasionally, but keep these as a treat and avoid consuming them every day. Eating ‘clean’ is the purest way to great health.

A healthy body is a gift.

Carbs are fine, but balance them depending on your output. If you are exercising a lot, you will need them for energy. They also aid sleep as they have a soporific effect.

I love potatoes and rice, but tend to be gluten aware as bread makes me feel bloated.

The wheat we use these days can ferment in your gut. Listen to your body: if it doesn’t feel good, it isn’t good for you.

www.benenden.co.uk 15

CORBIS

SIR MUIR GRAY

16 Be Healthy Spring 2016

STEP in the right direction

He admires Dolly Parton and resents sitting down. Sir Muir Gray tells Jackie McGlone why he wants to grow old disgracefully

S

ir Muir Gray is on a mission. “Down with chairs,” he exclaims.

“Create a bonfire of the baffies.” In other words – for those unfamiliar with the Scottish word for slippers – put on your walking shoes and get moving because inactivity is a killer.

The distinguished, Glasgow-born professor, who is one of the UK’s leading medical figures, is actually sitting down – a rare event in this energetic 71-year-old’s life since he juggles three part-time jobs.

He is offering his happy prescription for a better life while drinking tea at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

He is also describing the condition Walking Deficiency Syndrome (WDS) that so many suffer from, particularly ‘the elderly’, a term he would like us to abandon along with those baffies, since it lumps everyone from 65 to 105 into a single entity. “I hate the words ‘the elderly’,” he says. “Beware of generalisations.”

As well as WDS, a major cause of the current obesity epidemic, there is ESS – “excessive sitting syndrome.”

Muir Gray, leading proponent of the benefits of walking

Sitting, in this acclaimed doctor’s opinion, is clearly the new smoking. His message – spelled out in his warm, witty, wise book Sod 70! The Guide to Living Well – is that the older we get, the more we should avoid tiredness, fatness and sloth.

“It is never too late, or too early, to reduce your risk of developing disease by becoming fitter and adopting a positive attitude to life,” he says. “Seventy-year-olds can still increase their strength, stamina, suppleness, skill and psychology.”

Ageing is not a disease, declares the former chief of knowledge for the NHS, who pioneered Britain’s screening programme for breast and cervical cancer.

“Ageing is a complex process not yet fully understood. There is a genetic component but, with few exceptions, the risk of disease, and therefore how long we live, is determined more by lifestyle and environment than genes.”

Most disease, he explains, occurs as a result of living in an unhealthy environment or with an unhealthy lifestyle, and the longer you are exposed to it, the more likely it is that disease will develop later in life.

“Look at me,” he urges, his shock of white hair standing to attention. “At 71 I get a www.benenden.co.uk 17

SIR MUIR GRAY

little bit breathless, but that’s nothing to do with ageing. It’s almost certainly the result of spending the first 12 years of my life in the filthy fogs of Glasgow before the Clean Air Act 1956. My parents both smoked – Player’s cigarettes – and I had an attack of measles before antibiotics were used to prevent complications, so that left me with some lung damage.

“When I was 67, I had a little heart attack and had a stent fitted. I’m celebrating my stent’s fourth anniversary this week.”

Nevertheless, he begins each day practising what he preaches. He gets up and cleans his teeth standing on one leg – to maintain and improve his balance. He then does at least 10 minutes of exercise to increase and maintain muscle strength, using weights or a resistance band, “like a big, strong elastic band”.

He also does 72 press-ups, one for every year of his age, adding an extra one in case he has miscounted, and he cycles everywhere in Oxford. He, his wife and their two daughters have lived there since 1972 when he joined the city’s health department, after working in hospitals in Glasgow and Aberdeen.

And he walks. You can find him on YouTube promoting the benefits and joys of walking, and he has even written a book about it, Dr Gray’s Walking Cure. He spends little time sitting down. The concept of the recliner chair that tips the arthritic sitter up is anathema to him. His

He starts each day with exercises to increase and maintain muscle strength laptop resides on top of a filing cabinet so he can write standing up.

“I follow the Mediterranean diet, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta, olive oil and little or no red meat, just chicken or fish,” he says.

His next book is Sod It! Eat Well: Heathy Eating in Your 60s, 70s and Beyond, co-authored with nutritionist Anita Bean.

He is his own best advertisement, a picture of health with ruddy cheeks and bright eyes twinkling with puckish humour. “I’m an incurable optimist,” he confides. “I get that from my mother, who was a gym teacher in some of Glasgow’s toughest schools – my father died when I was seven years old. I recall her looking out of the window at the rain driving down and saying, ‘I think the sun’s trying to break through.’ She had such a positive attitude – and I’ve inherited that from her.”

His mother came from farming stock in Dumfries and Galloway. “I wanted to be a farmer when I was growing up, but there wasn’t the money to buy a farm. Mind you, I

could still milk a herd of cows today. So I decided to become a vet, a hard job. After two years studying in Glasgow – all those placentas, all those hooves – I got off the bus one day at Partick Cross and I thought ‘I’m going to study medicine’. I loved it.

“I was always asking questions, I still am. As a student I recall being very interested in a complicated pregnancy.

The delivery happened during the night so I missed it. The ward sister told me the surgeon said, ‘For God’s sake, don’t contact Muir Gray. I couldn’t stand all his questions at 3am.’ Despite that I don’t have the brain for research. But I am very good at juggling a lot of material at once, always wondering ‘Why?’” Knighted in 2005 for his services to the NHS, he is inspirational, though he pooh-poohs this remark with a shrug. So who inspires him?

“Two people,” he replies. “Carlos Acosta, the wonderful Cuban ballet dancer, whose final performance with the Royal Ballet my wife and I are attending this evening.

Yes, indeed, what a mover.

And the magnificent Dolly Parton, because she’s a woman who’s constantly reinventing herself.”

You could, of course, say the same of Professor Sir Muir Gray, a man for whom reinvention is clearly the secret of a long, happy and healthy life. The Dolly Parton of medical gurus.

The public health pioneer Professor Sir Muir Gray has worked in public health for 40 years. He began focusing on disease prevention, particularly helping people to stop smoking, and population ageing when he joined the City of Oxford Health Department in 1972.

EXERCISE AND DIET His work with older people centred on not only keeping healthy by exercising and eating sensibly but on issues such as preventing hypothermia by providing better housing.

18 Be Healthy Spring 2016

CARS TO CANCER He developed screening programmes in the NHS for breast and cervical cancer, taking inspiration from the highly efficient business model of the Japanese motor manufacturer Toyota. Later he developed screening for children and older people.

HEALTH HONOURS He became a CBE in 1998 and was knighted in 2005 for pioneering foetal, maternal and other screening, as well as services to the NHS.

KNOWLEDGE CHIEF Appointed chief knowledge officer of the NHS, Sir Muir founded the National Knowledge Services, helping to develop the National Library for Health.

He was integral in the creation and development of NHS Choices, which has more than 40m visits a month and is campaigning for more older people to gain access to the internet to keep their minds as active as their bodies.

Now working with NHS England and Public Health

England, he is campaigning to transform care with the aim of increasing value.

CLIMATE CHANGE CHAMPION Founder of the National Campaign for Walking, which promotes walking for health, he has set up a second charity to contribute to the fight for climate change by helping the NHS to reduce its carbon footprint.

He works with Spring Chicken, a company offering advice on nutrition and wellbeing for older people.

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www.benenden.co.uk 19

A HEALTHIER YOU

I want kids to enjoy sport and maybe that will stay with them through life

Fit for

LIFE

Mother of two tennis champions, Judy Murray tells Hugh MacDonald her everyday fitness tips

A

tennis coach and mother of the sport’s champions Andy and Jamie, Murray takes her Tennis on the Road initiative to schools throughout Britain.

She has also devised the Miss-Hits programme to involve young girls in sport.

“I am passionate about the value of exercise, particularly for children,” she says. “There is an upsurge in child obesity.

I believe we can combat this and give children a better life by encouraging them to take THREE FITNESS TIPS

1

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Exercise anywhere. “I spend a lot of time on the road so I can’t commit, say, 40 minutes to working out at the gym every day. I have to take my exercise where I can get it. If I am at home, I will stand on my tiptoes to stretch my calves while I am stirring a pot. When I am on the road, I will pack my skipping ropes. These don’t take up much room

up sport, or even just a form of exercise.

“There is a misconception about my motivation at times.

I am not trying to produce tennis champions on these programmes. I simply want kids to enjoy sport and maybe that will stay with them through life. A healthy kid has much more chance of becoming a healthy adult. Most importantly, it should be fun.”

She adds: “I believe it is also important to produce good coaches, the type of people who can inspire young kids to keep coming back.”

and can used in hotel rooms or wherever. Skipping is high-intensity training. I love it.”

Set targets.

“If you are in the house and doing exercises, you can say to yourself ‘I am going to stand on one leg for five minutes’. It is harder than it sounds and produces results. Or you can decide to go for a brisk walk for an hour. You will be surprised at how much farther you can

2

go in an hour after a few days.”

Make it fun.

“Play with your children. This does not need expensive equipment. Try to make up games that involve co-ordination and exercise that can be played indoors on rainy days. You can use cushions, soft balls or whatever else takes your fancy to engage the kids.

You will be surprised at how much you enjoy it.”

3

www.benenden.co.uk 21

FIRST PERSON

E

veryone will be familiar with the sort of snippet which usually appears about two thirds through the main news bulletin, when we need a bit of cheering up after all the death, disorder and politics.

“In California,” (or Michigan, Copenhagen or Leipzig), says Fiona Bruce brightly, “scientists have enabled a paralysed man to walk again.” And we see a 20-second shot of someone, his body weight suspended by a ceiling harness, his head covered in electrodes, shuffling and jerking his legs in a semblance of walking.

And the world’s compassionate majority watches it over their pizza and chips and registers it as good news. That’s great, they think – scientists have cracked paralysis.

And then they forget about it, assuming the chap will slowly improve, and the next time they see him on telly he’ll be walking his kid to school unaided. Only a tiny minority might say: "Hang on, haven’t we seen footage similar to this before? That other chap in the gym, a year ago, standing

up with electric stimulus? We never heard what happened to him, did we?"

I reckon that in the five years since I came out of hospital after breaking my neck I’ve heard seven different so-called breakthrough stories, involving paralysed patients in different parts of the world moving their limbs again, induced by electrical stimulation, robotics or surgery.

The cruel reality is that if you revisited those patients now, I’ll wager very little has changed. Those guinea pigs – and I admire them hugely – won’t, sadly, have their bodies restored. Their major muscle groups may twitch crudely under stimulus. But they won’t be standing, walking and bending, moving freely and easily, using a toilet normally or making love to their partners. They won’t have escaped the numb, sizzling, painful tomb of paralysis.

I’m a very positive person. But since I fell off my horse in 2010, I have become wary of the paralysis stories which make their way into the mainstream media. Read the small print, I want to scream. It all says the same: we’re five or 10 years away from this treatment being viable. That’s a very elastic

AS A TETRAPLEGIC

I’M A REALIST

IT’S A FORM OF SELF-PROTECTION Melanie Reid, the acclaimed columnist, has heard tales of ‘miracle cures’ for paralysis before. So what separates fact from fiction?

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MURDO MACLEOD

22 Be Healthy Spring 2016

www.benenden.co.uk 23

FIRST PERSON

time period, one discovers – it always turns into another five or 10 years. This is not to undervalue the priceless scientists who dedicate their lives trying to help the likes of me; rather, it’s a plea to the healthy world not to think broken spines are now fixable. Despite all the advances, people with broken spines will remain chronically disabled for the rest of their lives.

I have learnt this the hard way. As a tetraplegic, I live with disappointment every day, and I’m a realist. It’s a form of self-protection. I spent a year in hospital after my accident, four hours a day in the in-patient gym, striving as hard as it is possible for a human being to strive to get my body moving again. Because my spine was crushed, not severed, my left-foot toes started wiggling a tiny bit after three months and I thought “Fantastic! This is it!”. I was convinced I was at the start of the long road back, and I’d be out of my wheelchair and functioning in a couple of years, if I tried hard enough. I regained flickers of movement in my legs; my arms and shoulders were restored to about 60% normality (but not my hands, they’re crocked). “I’m going to beat this,” I told my husband, Dave. So many spinally injured patients are the same in the beginning.

Hope, thankfully, is a human impulse.

By the time I left the spinal unit, I could haul myself upright on to parallel bars and walk a few steps. I did this by looking down and willing my legs to move and my feet to land where my eyes commanded them to.

I had no proprioception – the feedback from my joints. In other words I couldn’t tell, without looking, where my legs were.

I could stagger about 20 exhausting steps using a big Zimmer, unaided but for someone following me with a wheelchair, ready to scoop me up if my legs buckled.

I find it hard to describe, without sounding nauseatingly self-pitying, the effort and

Melanie Reid eventing on her horse in 2009, a year before her accident

By the time I le! the spinal unit, I could haul myself up on to bars and walk a few steps determination this took: my body was stiff, painful but insensate, incredibly slow to react, jerky when it did, feet scissoring in front of each other, blocking my own progress. The grotesque puppetry of the flesh, I described it. And I looked, and still look when I do it, much like those patients in the experiments, minus the electrodes.

Nothing was cured, better, or normal, and the walking wasn’t functional. My bladder and bowels remained stubbornly paralysed, my body still felt like it was sizzling in a deep-fat fryer; my hands clenched claws.

Nearly six years on, despite spending thousands of pounds on physiotherapists and equipment, and trying as hard as any

human being could, my walking has regressed. As I move into my late 50s, I’m also battling the ageing process. My dream – that recovery was just a question of time, determination, patience and physiotherapy – has deflated. Oh, my body keeps trying: it flickers with some neurological recovery – growing skin sensation in my legs, a hint of proprioception – but I have finally accepted that there is no progressive curve upwards. The body’s default position is to heal, but nerves do so infinitesimally slowly. My spinal cord is permanently knackered. My shoulder joints too, worn out by six years of lifting and pushing my very tall body. The grotesque puppetry is as good as it is going to get.

It’s tough, but I now accept this. I’ve realised there are bigger priorities. Being in a wheelchair isn’t the end of the world.

This is challenging to explain, because walking is what non-paralysed people automatically assume the paralysed people miss most of all. The able-bodied

MILESTONES

SPINAL INJURY TREATMENTS HAILED AS 'GAME CHANGERS'

24 Be Healthy Spring 2016

2011

Rob Summers, paralysed below the chest after being hit by a car in 2006, takes steps after treatment.

Via a device implanted in his back, US scientists send electrical pulses mimicking signals produced by the brain to spark movement.

2014

Four paralysed men, including Summers (right), are able to move their legs after electrical stimulation of their spinal cords.

Scientists at the University of Louisville say this shows Summers’ case is more than just a one-off.

2014

Regenerated cells implanted in the spine of a fireman paralysed from the chest down restore some muscle control and feeling. After the therapy, developed at University College London, Darek Fidyka walks aided by braces and a frame.

2015

An unnamed 26-year-old paralysed for five years walks 3.5m with some support following the use of brain-tocomputer technology. Signals are rerouted by scientists at the University of California from his brain to electrodes on his knees, bypassing his spinal injury.

MOVING STORIES Melanie Reid and her husband David McNeil in the kitchen of their home and, inset, the journalist tries out a robotic mobility device

imagination stalls beyond that point, as mine would once have done. It’s the reason so much research money and energy are devoted to seeking yet another “paralysed man walks again”. It lends itself to dramatic results and more research grants.

There are other vital things scientists could do: a 21st-century technological solution to paralysed bladders and bowels, for example (my bladder relies on a primitive, invasive catheter invented 80 years ago; the odds are it will give me bladder cancer). There is the issue of sexual function, for younger paralysed people in particular, so bound up with identity, which is a profound hardship.

Then there is the lack of drugs to relieve the nerve pain: the constant sizzle and burn and ache from bodies which can’t move and in theory shouldn’t be able to feel anything. A senior pharmacologist told me the failure to develop drugs for neuropathic pain is because the market is not big enough. Paralysed people make do with analgesics, which wreck our stomachs, or medicines which sedate the brain as well as the pain, and turn us into semi-zombies. Not all these things will be solved by wiring up people to walk again.

One day the scientists will prevail. I support the charity Spinal Research UK. Till then, I reserve the right to remain ever hopeful, defensively cynical, and anxious to make healthy people aware that no miracle cure for paralysis exists.

In a way, though, what I vowed to my husband has come true. I have beaten it.

Sort of. I survived when a happy afternoon’s sport turned to catastrophe in a heartbeat.

My horse refused a small cross-country jump, I landed on my face, saw an explosion of red and ceased to feel my body.

I survived a life-saving helicopter dash, 10 days on a ventilator, a tricky operation to plate my neck vertebrae, and pneumonia.

I kept my job as a writer with The Times.

I learned to drive again. Two years post-accident I went to London and covered the Paralympics in 2012 for the paper.

I’ve seen my son graduate and can still support my family. I still love laughing. I’m proud to have researched and co-written my first book, a memoir of the actor Gregor Fisher (best known for the comic character Rab C Nesbitt). I am exceedingly grateful to be alive.

Melanie Reid writes Spinal Column in The Times Magazine. The Boy from Nowhere, her book with Gregor Fisher, published by HarperCollins, is out now www.benenden.co.uk 25

HEALTHY LIVING

So you want a healthier lifestyle?

Start with these 10 health and wellbeing websites, says Jonathan McIntosh

HELLO HEALTHY

FIGHTING 50

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

blog.myfitnesspal.com

www.fightingfifty.co.uk

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

Making healthy living more fun

Women in pursuit of fitness, lifestyle and beauty advice

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

This blog is created by the people behind My Fitness Pal, the free nitrition and activity tracking app with 65 million users. The idea is to make healthy living simple and fun. Try dipping into ‘5 ways to burn more calories on a walk’, or ‘4 reasons to be thankful for your body (as it is today)’. Then – deep breath now – ‘Are you stretching all wrong?’

26 Be Healthy Spring 2016

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

For women who want to remain strong, confident and healthy regardless of age, a site offering expert advice on the best equipment, apps and regimes for an array of sports from pilates and running to swimming and cycling. It has tips on everything from reducing stress to taking first steps into the world of Pilates.

Please check any medical or dietary advice given online with your own doctor.

DAILY CUP OF YOGA

NERD FITNESS

LAZY GIRL RUNNING

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

www.dailycupofyoga.com

www.nerdfitness.com

www.lazygirlrunning.com

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

Great videos for complete beginners

People daunted by exercise regimes

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Runners of all abilities, but especially those who are beginners

One of the best things about this site, started by fitness trainer Cassey Ho, are its 30-day challenges, which are accessible and realistic for beginners.

This section gives achievable targets that everyone can aspire to. There is also a workout calendar, which is great for beginners and those who are looking for some direction.

Lots of us don’t know how to exercise to ensure the best results. Steve Kamb was one of those people, so after learning how to train properly, he launched Nerd Fitness with the goal of helping people “wake up every day a little healthier than you were yesterday”. Nerd Fitness has a massive online community through which users motivate one another.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Running is one of the easiest methods of getting fit – all you need is a pair of trainers. A personal trainer, running coach and marathon runner, Laura Fountain went from being unable to run for more than a few minutes to tackling 26 miles in three hours 38 minutes. The result is this entertaining and motivational blog.

PATIENT INFO

COUNTRYFILE

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

http://patient.info

www.countryfile.com

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

Tips on fitness, nutrition and health issues

A much-needed breath of fresh air

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

This site reveals how gentle exercise including walking, T’ai Chi and Pilates can help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and asthma. Dr Sarah Jarvis, the resident medic on TV’s The One Show and Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2, blogs about current health issues and the importance of discussing mental wellbeing. The site also offers a symptom checker.

The official website of BBC Countryfile Magazine takes you away from the stress of a nine to five and into Britain’s great outdoors. Besides engaging content on issues affecting the nation’s countryside, highlights include an archive of UK walks –enter your postcode for the best routes near you – and the top 10 seal watching spots in Britain.

SUSTRANS

RAMBLERS

MENTAL HEALTH

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

FIND IT HERE

www.sustrans.org.uk

www.ramblers.org.uk

www.mentalhealth.org.uk

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

Finding a cleaner, cleverer way to travel

Putting your best foot forward outdoors

Ensuring mental health is out of the closet

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

An accessible and easy-to-use site with the goal of inspiring children, the elderly, and everyone in between to travel in a smarter way. The UK charity behind the site wants four out of five local journeys to be made by bike, foot or public transport by 2020. That’s double the current figure.

Make this your mission and you might just feel healthier and happier.

Walking is one of the best – and simplest – forms of exercise. If you can combine it with some stunning countryside you are onto a winner. The mission of the charity Ramblers is to protect and expand access to walking routes – and help us be responsible walkers. The message is you can be careful with the countryside while feeling carefree.

From relaxation podcasts to managing your stress, this useful site helps put mental wellbeing centre stage. Created by the Mental Health Foundation, it demystifies an often taboo subject, offering easy-to-understand information and practical advice on, for instance, who to turn to if you need need support to deal with a family member or friend. www.benenden.co.uk 27

+

HEALTH

HERO

One meal a day.

One boy’s dream.

One simple vision

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, centre, with children from the impoverished Cité Soleil, Haiti

A former fish farmer who built a global charity, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow longed to be reunited with the boy who inspired him

T

WORDS KATHLEEN MORGAN

he photograph shows a family of six bewilderedlooking children. Their mother, who has Aids, sits among them, propped up against the wall of their Malawi home, close to death.

To her right, the eldest child, 14-yearold Edward, stares imploringly at the camera. As the life of his mother, Emma, hangs in the balance, he has no idea what the future holds. Emma died shortly after the photograph was taken.

This very image was to haunt Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the chief executive and founder of the charity Mary’s Meals, for years. The quiet-spoken Scotsman explains he had been visiting Malawi doing charitable work when he had his life-changing encounter with Edward.

28 Be Healthy Spring 2016

“It was the words of Edward all those years ago that sparked Mary’s Meals,” explains MacFarlane-Barrow. “He had spoken about a dream of having enough to eat to go to school every day.”

MacFarlane-Barrow was struck with the idea that a child could be given the chance of an education – and a future – with the promise of a daily, nutritious school meal. He felt compelled to try to make that possible. And so, in 2002, he launched Mary’s Meals, inspired by a dream that was unattainable for Edward, but was soon to become a reality for thousands of others.

The charity started life in a weather-beaten tin shed near

Edward (highlighted), who inspired Mary’s Meals, sits with his mother and siblings

The Mary’s Meals founder at home in Scotland

Mary’s Meals feeds more than one million schoolchildren in 12 countries across four continents

CHRIS LESLIE; ANGELA CATLIN

MacFarlane-Barrow’s home in Dalmally, Argyll, where he lives with his wife, Julie, and their seven children. Mary’s Meals now feeds more than one million schoolchildren in 12 countries across four continents, with projects from Haiti to India, and Myanmar to Zambia. The charity provides meals to more than 25% of schools across Malawi.

There is still some way to go, though.

MacFarlane-Barrow stresses 57 million children around the world still miss school because of poverty.

Besides the shed in Dalmally, where MacFarlane-Barrow is sitting now – “It’s a bit chilly this morning, I have to say” – there are modest offices in New York, New Jersey and Glasgow. Mary’s Meals has adhered to its policy of keeping costs down and maximising donations. The charity spends 93p of every £1 on charitable activities, partly thanks to the hundreds of thousands

of volunteers inspired to contribute to what he calls the ‘mission’ of Mary’s Meals.

“Over the years, some people question it: ‘Can you really keep growing with such a low cost base?’ And we can,” says MacFarlane-Barrow. “The reason is there are thousands of people volunteering their time to be part of this mission. It’s not that little group of paid staff sitting in two or three offices around the world who are making this happen. We’re supporting it.”

He has, to his discomfort, become the high-profile figurehead of Mary’s Meals.

MacFarlane-Barrow was heralded a CNN Hero 2010 by the US broadcaster, and Time magazine in 2015 named him one of the 100 most influential people.

Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, now UN special envoy for global education, paid tribute to MacFarlaneBarrow in Time magazine: “Scotland www.benenden.co.uk 29

HEALTH HERO

She told me what it was like as a child going days on end without eating

Malawian student Veronica Chiphwanya

boasts great missionary heroes, including David Livingstone and Eric Liddell of Chariots of Fire fame. Magnus MacFarlaneBarrow follows in their footsteps.”

MacFarlane-Barrow, who was awarded an OBE in 2011, welcomes the publicity only in as much as it raises awareness – and money – for the projects he is so obviously passionate about.

“I remain as uncomfortable as ever about some of that spotlight stuff,” he says in his trademark straight-talking manner.

“On one level, it’s almost funny – it’s ridiculous – but I have got better at understanding it really does help Mary’s Meals grow. When it’s my face in a newspaper there’s a risk that people get the impression this work is about me, this guy in a shed who’s feeding a million kids.

That’s so far from the reality of Mary’s

Meals. Day to day it’s thousands and thousands of people doing essential things to put the meal on the table.”

He applies the same logic to the celebrities throwing their weight behind Mary’s Meals. The backing of actors such as Gerard Butler and Emma Thompson means raising the profile of the charity – and, ultimately, putting meals on tables.

His mission came unexpectedly.

Educated at Oban High School, MacFarlane-Barrow was working as a fish farmer along with his brother, Fergus, when they were inspired to respond to the Balkan crisis in 1992. They asked neighbours and friends for help with blankets and food, filled a jeep with the aid and delivered it to Medjugorje. The donations kept coming and Scottish International Relief, the precursor to

WHO ARE YOUR HEALTH HEROES?

MARY’S MEALS The charity is committed to the vision that every child receives a daily meal in their place of education. Just £12.20 provides a child with Mary’s Meals for a full school year, and with the average daily meal costing just 6p, a small donation makes a big difference.

Visit www.marysmeals.org.uk or call 01838 200605 to donate.

30 Be Healthy Spring 2016

Mary’s Meals, was born. Firmly rooted in his Catholic faith, the charity is nevertheless non-denominational, feeding children from across cultural, religious and political backgrounds.

MacFarlane-Barrow speaks movingly about Veronica Chiphwanya, whose story encapsulates the charity’s vision. An orphan from Blantyre, Malawi, she was among the first recipients of Mary’s Meals.

“She told me recently what it was like as a child sometimes going days on end without eating. She said she wouldn’t have stayed in school without Mary’s Meals and that it changed her life. Veronica is now at university in Blantyre studying finance. She speaks with such optimism about her future, and the future of Malawi.”

His most poignant story, though, involves a decade-long search for Edward, the inspiration for Mary’s Meals. After several fruitless attempts to locate him, the pair were finally reunited last year.

“I went back to see him with mixed emotions, because I knew Mary’s Meals had come too late for him – he was already 14,” says MacFarlane-Barrow. “He had spoken to me about a dream of having enough to eat to go to school every day, so part of me was dreading going back to see him. Sure enough, he still lives in poverty.

“There were some unexpected, lovely things too, though. His younger siblings eat Mary’s Meals at school, and he has a son who will eat Mary’s Meals when he goes to primary school next year.”

And for MacFarlane-Barrow, that beats all the accolades you can cram on to a mantelpiece in Dalmally.

Mary’s Meals cost as little as 6p each

+

HEALTH

HERO

We want to know who your health heroes are, whether it’s an international campaigner such as MacFarlane-Barrow or someone making a real difference to health here in the UK. Let us know who you’d like to see featured in future issues of Be Healthy by sending your nominations to behealthy@benenden.co.uk

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ESSENTIALS What does it take to be a contact centre adviser in member services at Benenden?

1

Approachable style

2

Listening and questioning skills

3

Ability to empathise with callers

4

Show initiative in problem solving

5

Know when and where to direct callers to sources of help

32 Be Healthy Spring 2016

INSIDE STORY

‘It’s important to empathise and reach out to callers’ Her voice can be the first Benenden members hear when they ask for help. Sophie Anderson explains what makes her job so special

T

WORDS KATHLEEN MORGAN PHOTOGRAPH CHRIS BLOTT

he former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is anything but predictable, as his rollercoaster career has shown. Yet if the nation’s favourite tennis player is competing in a major final, one thing is absolutely certain: Sophie Anderson will know about it.

The contact centre adviser for Benenden explains how the level of calls can fluctuate depending on when Murray is playing his crunch matches. “There are peaks and troughs, but if Andy Murray is playing it will be quiet,” she says. At other times, she adds, contact centre lines can be buzzing with members seeking healthcare advice.

The 20-year-old is taking a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk about her role within the member services department at the Benenden centre in York. She and her fellow advisers are the gateway to the society’s healthcare services, trained to listen to members and direct them to the resources they need, from the GP advice line to the 24/7 stress counselling helpline. She might be one of the younger members of staff – she has 20 months’ experience in what she calls her “first proper job” – but Sophie’s friendly and assured manner is, you imagine, effective when members need practical help.

The calls Sophie receives are largely from members who would

like a health problem diagnosed, she explains. “They approach us when they have a symptom or a set of symptoms the GP feels needs to be looked at by a consultant, or needs to be tested through the NHS, but they’re having a long delay.”

Asked what types of call make an impression on her, she says: “Unfortunately, the most distressing calls are the ones that are most memorable. For example, I spoke with a member who was attacked in her own home, and it was harrowing. At the same time it was nice to be able to help her, and to know we could do something for her.

“You need to be able to reach out to callers, to sound sympathetic to what they’re saying. Being there and supporting her was very important.”

Sophie listened carefully to the caller’s story and referred her to the 24/7 stress counselling helpline.

Contact centre advisers are unlikely to know the results of a referral, unless the caller comes through to them on another occasion, but knowing she has directed them to a source of help is enough, says Sophie.

Listening skills are crucial – picking up on the small details and questioning members

Assessing the qualities she needs in her role, she says: “Listening skills are crucial – picking up on the small details, and being able to question members – because some aren’t very open about the assistance they require.

“It can be difficult to talk about medical issues to someone you’ve never met before. It’s important to be soft, be gentle with them, but to ask the appropriate questions.”

Beyond the training and mentoring Benenden has given Sophie, she has a keen interest in psychology and, in her spare time, reads books on the subject. She enjoys socialising with her workmates but, if she needs to see beyond the horizon, she will head out of her home town and into rural West Yorkshire, where she was brought up. “I’m still a Yorkshire girl,” she says, laughing.

She is proud of Benenden’s roots as a healthcare provider set up before the birth of the NHS to help postal workers with tuberculosis. She says Benenden has retained its original ethos, and while the society is thriving, with a membership of more than 870,000 from all walks of life, she would like more people to know what it offers.

“It would be nice for people to know exactly what we do and how we can help,” she says. “It’s all about assisting the member, when they need it, to the best of your ability.” www.benenden.co.uk 33

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1

YourBenenden ]Get ting more from your membership i

You can make a difference Benenden is an organisation that evolves over time. With our democratic structure, it is no accident we have survived 111 years. Our democracy is important to us and relies on members playing a part in how they would like to see the society continue.

The door of opportunity for members opens each winter, with every branch holding an AGM and looking forward to the society’s annual conference in June.

We consider ourselves a genuinely member-led organisation. If you have ideas about the way Benenden could be strengthened, those meetings are the chance to make them happen.

Benenden’s range of services has expanded greatly in recent years, and

not all of those services happened because someone at the top thought they were a good idea. Many started because an ordinary member turned up at a branch meeting with an idea for a new or improved service, found support for it, and eventually that idea found its way to conference. If the idea receives backing there, it is likely to come into effect.

Benenden is not a token democracy.

Every member has the opportunity to play a part in the way the society operates and the services it offers.

Interested? Turn to page 37 to find out how you can make a difference.

René Fraioli Society Secretary

Running for hope

Charitable trust helps ease health-related hardship As an era of austerity continues to bite, Benenden Charitable Trust is running full pelt to help ease health-related financial difficulty.

The charity wants to build on the success of last year’s fundraising efforts, including the York 10k Run For All event.

Marc Bell, chief executive of Marc Bell runs the 10k

Benenden, was among 30 runners who wore the charity’s distinctive pink T-shirt.

Thomas Craigen, charitable trust manager, said: “After the successful 2015 Run For All, where we raised £2,775 plus the associated Gift Aid, we have reserved 50 places in the 2016 event.

“We are also looking to purchase places in events around the UK which we would like Benenden members to take up so they can fundraise on our behalf.”

Launched in 2005, Benenden Charitable Trust offers grants to lessen the financial impact of infirmity, disability or medical conditions.

Thomas said: “Grants can be for a variety of needs such

The 10k Run For All event involved 30 Benenden runners

as helping with the cost of medical treatments not available through the NHS or Benenden membership, purchasing specialist equipment, or simply providing breathing space if you are struggling with everyday living costs.

“We can help members and

former members of Benenden, as well as friends and family named on another person’s membership.”

In its first decade, the charity granted more than £600,000 to individuals in need.

Visit www.benenden.co.uk/ charitable-trust www.benenden.co.uk 35

YOUR BENENDEN

Your chance to be heard Members urged to take part in branch AGMs You might be just one of a membership of more than 870,000 – but your voice can be heard loud and clear at a Benenden branch AGM. That is our message as we ask grass-roots members to help prepare for our annual conference in June.

Benenden wants its members to get involved in decision making at branch level, making the most of its democratic process and ensuring the organisation reflects their needs.

Richard Johnston, democratic services manager at Benenden, said: “Our branch meetings are a demonstration of how members can have a say in how the business is run, and become more involved.

They are a key part of our democratic process.”

AT THEIR BRANCH AGM, MEMBERS CAN: learn of the latest updates about their membership; hear from guest speakers, often one of Benenden’s committee of management or executive team; elect members to represent the branch as delegates at the annual conference in June, at which only elected delegates will be able to vote; help the branch develop any contributions to be included on the conference agenda;

seek a nomination from the branch to stand for the committee of management, elected at the conference in June.

Branch AGM information is available in the secure member area on Benenden’s website. For the first time, members will be able to book their place at branch meetings through the website.

Visit https://members. benenden.co.uk to book in to your 2016 branch meetings

Stay in touch

Help us keep you informed by updating your contact details We would like to keep you up to date with Benenden membership news, offers and information on services. You can help.

It is easy to check we have the right contact information for you, and any friends and family associated with your membership. Just go to the member website and use your log-in and password to access your details.

For anyone who has forgotten their password or log-in email address, help is at hand. Just click on the appropriate link.

If you are a new member, all you need to register is a valid email address, your Benenden membership number and your date of birth.

Visit www.benenden.co.uk/ memberwebsite

Membership

Be part of something special Your contributions can be used to help others Benenden said yes to requests for help around 96,000 times during 2015 – thanks to our members’ monthly contributions.

With your help, our membership community of 870,000 had the chance to

benefit from our exceptional discretionary healthcare services, including surgery, physiotherapy, the 24/7 GP Advice Line and counselling.

Your contributions last year made a real difference to the lives of others. Cataract surgery was funded by 959 members’ weekly contributions, while hernia

repairs were made possible using 1,329 weekly contributions. Varicose veins treatment was funded by 1,153 weekly contributions.

The new monthly membership rate of £8.71 per person from 1 April 2016 – an increase of 26p per month – will allow us to help even more members.

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE REMOVAL OF TONSILS paid for by

883

members’ weekly contributions

KNEE ARTHROSCOPY paid for by

1,329

members’ weekly contributions

www.benenden.co.uk 37

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YOUR BENENDEN

Contact Benenden Member Services 0800 414 8100* (Lines open 8am–8pm, Mon–Fri)

24/7 GP Advice Line 0800 414 8247*

Round-the-clock medical advice from a qualified, UK-based doctor is just a phone call away.

24/7 Counselling Helpline 0800 414 8247* If you’re feeling stressed, anxious or are struggling to cope, you can speak to a qualified counsellor whenever you need advice.

Health Concern Advice Line Your three-step guide to 0800 414 8100* contacting us when you (Lines open 8am–8pm, Mon–Fri) need help with obtaining a diagnosis or treatment Independent Care First of all, you will need a referral from your GP. Advice Services 0800 414 8100* (Lines open 8am–8pm, Mon–Fri)

Add or recommend a friend 0800 414 8470* (Lines open 8am–5pm, Mon–Fri)

1 2 3

You will already have explored NHS waiting times.

If you’re unable to wait for the NHS, ask us if Benenden could assist you.

Registered Office Benenden, Holgate Park Drive, York YO26 4GG

IN FOCUS

24/7 GP Advice Line Benenden personal healthcare means that whenever you need qualified medical advice, you only need to pick up the phone.

Round-the-clock medical advice from a qualified, UK-based doctor is just a

phone call away. And you can sleep more easily not having to wait until the next day or visit your local practice to ask for: 1 health advice on a wide range of conditions 2 a medical opinion whenever you need it

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This is a call-back service allowing you to specify a convenient time for a doctor to contact you. The GP can suggest a diagnosis and

recommend the best action.

They are not able to give you a prescription or make a referral.

Please note your call may be recorded for our mutual security, and for training and quality purposes.

Call 0800 414 8247 from the UK or +44 800 414 8247 from abroad www.benenden.co.uk 39

Everyone wakes up a day older, but that day can be filled with purpose, love, laughter and fun McKee. Evermore aims to construct clusters of purpose-built apartments with a lockable front door, but also an open-plan living and dining area where residents, families and carers can work, play, cook, laugh, cuddle pets, enjoy a glass of wine or have a party.

The age of reason

Ageing should be a new adventure rather than something to fear, so let’s put the fun back into those later years

W

hat are old people for? It’s a great question – and one posed by Dr Bill Thomas, the visionary and geriatrician changing attitudes to ageing in the USA. Dr Thomas coined the phrase ‘elderhood’ to describe a stage of life in later adulthood that is rich in possibility.

He began as a doctor working in a care home in upstate New York in 1991.

Reacting to what he saw as a lonely existence, he launched The Green House Project in defiance of the traditional care home model, reimagining long-term care for elderly people.

Each Green House is centred around a social hub where individuals can interact and pursue their passions. In essence,

40 Be Healthy Spring 2016

Backchat Dr Phil Hammond Dr Thomas is putting the fun and love back into growing old.

Now, UK company Evermore is picking up the mantle of its global chair, Dr Thomas.

The Evermore vision is of ‘student living for the elderly – with a chalet maid’ – a phrase coined by the father of its founder, Sara

Staying Alive: How to Get the Best From the NHS by Dr Phil Hammond is published by Quercus

FOTO BUREAU NZ LIMITED

U

nlike in the traditional care home model, which can appear highly structured and impersonal, residents can feel in control of their lives. They own their flat and pay a monthly fee covering food, drink, living expenses and the services of a skilled resident carer. As they become frailer, they receive extra support to allow them to stay in their own flat for as long as they want to.

Nearly 2.5 million people over the age of 75 live alone, and this figure is increasing.

More than half are women. Between 6% and 13% of people aged over 65 say they always, or very often, feel lonely. People with a high degree of loneliness are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s and are at risk of anxiety and depression, yet many don’t want to live in a traditional care home.

In the USA, early studies of frail elderly patients who had been moved out of traditional care homes into Green House accommodation showed many residents responded positively, with improvements in their health, wellbeing, mood and confidence. They developed a zest for life and described their Green Houses as homes – something the more institutional care model struggles to inspire. The trick is to have companions and carers who you connect with and care about.

As Dr Thomas puts it, everyone wakes up a day older, but that day can still be filled with purpose, passion, love, laughter and fun. Having a circle of friends you see regularly should be the main priority of the over-60s. And what better way to socialise than to live with your friends – then close your own front door when you want your own space?

Let us look after the people you care about too Add friends and family to your membership today

Our personal healthcare puts you and your loved ones first Adding loved ones to your membership is simple Benenden understand that caring about someone means caring about their health and wellbeing too.

That’s why, as a Benenden member you can add family and friends to your membership for the same low rate of £8.45◊ per person, per month.

Recommending a friend is as easy as passing on the cards inside this magazine.

I think you’d

love

Pass it on

Healthcare for only

£8.45◊ per person per month

Benenden Persona l

Healthcare

Membership number:

5 MOST TRUSTED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

FOR THE FIFTH YEAR 2011 - 2015

Benenden Perso nal

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Why not share Benenden Personal Health care friends and family with your ?

Make sure your friends, colleag neighbours are ues and looked after too. By Benenden commu nity, family and joining the benefit from friends can our wide range of discretionary healthcare services alongside you.

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Membership number:

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FOR THE FIFTH YEAR 2011 - 2015

We make it easy to care We don’t limit the number of people you can add to your membership and no matter what their age there is no medical, no excess to pay and no lengthy forms for them to fill in - just straightforward discretionary healthcare that puts your loved ones first.

Add family and friends to your membership

0800 414 8053* www.benenden.co.uk/benjan16 quote BENJAN16

From 1st April 2016 payments will increase to £8.71 per person, per month *Please note that your call may be recorded for our mutual security and also for training and quality purposes. Lines are open 8am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays). Membership is available to anyone over the age of 16 who is normally resident in the UK. Members can add family and friends to their membership regardless of their age. Some services have a six month qualifying period. Benenden is a trading name of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited and its subsidiaries. Benenden personal healthcare is offered by The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, which is an incorporated friendly society, registered under the Friendly Societies Act 1992, registered number 480F. The Society’s contractual business (the provision of tuberculosis benefit) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. The remainder of the Society’s business is undertaken on a discretionary basis. The Society is subject to Prudential Regulation Authority requirements for prudential management. No advice has been given. If in doubt as to the suitability of this product, you should seek independent advice.

◊

Registered Office: The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, Holgate Park Drive, York, YO26 4GG. ADV/BENMAY15/JW03/01.16/V1

5 MOST TRUSTED

5 MOST TRUSTED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

FOR THE FIFTH YEAR 2011 - 2015