This report was researched and written by Professor Thomas Scharf and Dr Caroline Shaw from the Newcastle University Institute for Ageing and the Institute of Health and Society, with Sally-Marie Bamford, Dr Brian Beach and Dean Hochlaf from the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK).
There are stark inequalities in how different people experience later life. While some of us enjoy the benefits of longer lives, others may experience later life as a time of profound challenge. The causes of such inequalities are complex, inter-related, and challenging to address.
The Centre for Ageing Better commissioned a review of the evidence on the nature of inequalities in later life, with a focus on six key areas:
- subjective wellbeing
- physical and mental health
- life expectancy and healthy life expectancy
- financial security
- social connections
- home and living environment.
The review presents and summarises the most recent published evidence on inequalities in later life in England. It is the collaborative work of teams from the Institute of Health & Society and Institute for Ageing at Newcastle University and the International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK).