11 Jun 2020
The Age of Ageing Better? New book launched
The book from our Chief Executive, Anna Dixon, challenges people's assumptions about ageing, and what longer lives mean for our society.
'The Age of Ageing Better?', published by Green Tree – Bloomsbury, sets out a clear picture of the better world we can create and how we could all enjoy a better later life.
‘The Age of Ageing Better?' takes a radically different view of what our ageing society means. In her new book, Anna Dixon turns the misleading and depressing narrative of burden and massive extra cost of people living longer on its head and shows how our society could thrive if we started thinking differently.
One in three babies born today will live to 100. In less than 20 years, one in four people will be over 65. This has huge implications for our society – for our communities, our jobs, our homes, and our health.
The ‘population pessimists’ tell us that this age shift is a disaster – that it will bankrupt our economy, and heap pressure on our NHS. Newspapers paint older people as ‘selfish boomers’, hoarding wealth and opportunity. Society tells us that getting older is something to be afraid of.
The Age of Ageing Better? A Manifesto For Our Future
Buy the bookIn this book, Anna Dixon tackles these pessimistic views head-on. She shows that our longer lives are a huge opportunity. Drawing on many years’ experience in the health sector, as well as interviews with experts and policymakers, 'The Age of Ageing Better?' sets out the radical changes needed to ensure no-one misses out on a good later life.
Anna and Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA, discussed the book's themes in a live event. Catch up now.