As a society we need to wake up to the profound change in our longevity. The prospect of a 100-year life is an incredible opportunity, but we are woefully under prepared for it.
There is no point living for longer if those extra years are spent suffering a poor quality of life in ill health, without access to decent care, in unsuitable homes, in places that leave us disconnected, isolated and lonely. Currently too many people are missing out on a good later life. This inequality looks set to become further entrenched for future generations unless we make radical changes now.
Our vision at the Centre for Ageing Better is a society where everybody enjoys a good later life.
We believe that more people living longer represents a huge opportunity for society. Since our start in 2015, we have been working with government, business and civil society to help pioneer positive change to respond to ageing.
In 2017/18 we made significant progress in achieving our mission.
Our work to make the national case for healthy ageing, including the importance of the wider determinants of health such as financial security and good housing, reached an important milestone with the Government’s commitment to address the ‘Grand Challenge’ of ageing within its Industrial Strategy. We will continue to work closely with politicians and civil servants to help achieve ambitious whole society goals.
