Let's change how we age

Age UK calls for a radical 'sea change' in how we think about older people and about ageing - including our own

New research by the Charity finds a third of people aged 65+ and almost a quarter of those aged 50-64 say they have been discriminated against due to their age

Same study shows only a minority of pensioners have moderate or comfortable incomes, and most live on minimum incomes or in poverty

Charity says "We must urgently ditch outmoded attitudes to ageing and older people and embrace the reality, as individuals and as a country"

Age UK launches its new three-year strategy.

Age UK's new report spells out the reality of population ageing in our society, and what it is to be an older person living in it. In so doing it confounds some of the outmoded myths and stereotypes that the Charity says are often holding us back from making the most both of our own later lives and of the asset that is our older population.

The data-rich report, Why we want to change how we age (ageuk.org.uk)  is interactive and can be accessed here demonstrates how rapidly we are ageing as a society, yet Age UK points out that we frequently seem in denial of this fact, with successive governments unwilling to make the changes needed in response, preferring instead to ‘kick the can down the road’.

The Charity is launching an ambitious new three-year strategy, after extensive consultation with older people and the Age UK network, among many others. Central to this strategy are ambitions around transforming public attitudes to ageing and older people; supporting older people to get the health and care they need; and tackling poverty and inequalities.

For example, it is only now that there is a serious effort beginning in Government and the NHS to think through how our health and social care system needs to flex and change. In order to help older people to stay fit and well in their own homes for longer, avoiding hospital admissions wherever possible. Yet the trend towards a significantly older population has been underway for more than a generation. The Charity says our slow response means there is now a lot of catching up to do.

The Charity also points out the irony of the fact that while our population is rapidly ageing, ageism remains rife. Shockingly, a third of people aged 65+ and almost a quarter of people aged 50 to 64 say they have experienced ageism. This is equivalent to 6.1 million people aged 50+ saying they have had experiences ranging from being treated with less respect, to being threatened.

For some, ageism combines with other forms of discrimination to hold them back in later life: one in six women aged 50+ say they’ve been discriminated against due to their sex, and more than half of people aged 50+ from minoritised communities say they’ve been discriminated against due to their race or religion.

Age UK’s report also shows just how wide of the mark public attitudes often are as regards how affluent the older population is today. Significant reductions in pensioner poverty until the early 2010s have given way to a creeping increase, despite policies such as the pensions triple lock, with the result that there are now 1.9 million pensioners in poverty[i].

While some pensioners are well off, many are struggling. Big inequalities in pensioner incomes mean that only a minority have moderate or comfortable incomes (17%, equivalent to 2.1 million), with most pensioners living on minimum incomes or in poverty (82%, equivalent to 9.7 million).

Age UK believes that as a country we aren’t making the most of the great national asset that an older population provides. It is estimated that by 2040 more than 40% of us will be aged over 50 and more than five million of us will be aged 80+.   Sadly, we do not yet have the infrastructure, and services required to keep up with these growing numbers. 

The analysis and other work Age UK has carried out in the development of its new strategy has led the Charity to conclude not only that ageism is widespread, but also that many of us are reluctant to contemplate the realities of getting older for our own lives. The opportunity to take actions earlier, especially during mid-life, which would increase our chances of a fulfilling later life, are sometimes missed as a result, because of the barriers either we or the society we live in put in our way. This can mean that we start our later lives less resilient than we could be.

In addition to the ageism experienced by millions of older people, the report also highlights the wider range of challenges many face: loneliness, poor health, an unmet need for care and poverty are common experiences, with many experiencing at least one of these challenges:

• 0 million people aged 65+ (28%) are facing one of these four challenges,
• 2 million (11%) are facing two,
• and 400,000 (4%) are facing at least three challenges.

Similarly, the report shows that nearly one million older people across the UK often feel lonely.

The report suggests that if we structured our response to population ageing in a more considered way the results would be much better, socially and economically and for older people and their families too. Achieving this, the Charity says, is largely about deploying existing resources in slightly different ways and about changing attitudes. It is also about understanding the important contributions that older people make to our society, whether they are caring for loved ones, working or volunteering in the community. Each and every day there is an invisible army of older people making a difference by contributing in positive ways.  

Paul Farmer, CEO of AGE UK said: “Age UK wants to start a national conversation about ageing and hopes that by working shoulder to shoulder with older people we can make progress in transforming public attitudes, helping everyone to get the most from their own later lives. We don’t have to be ecstatic about getting older but nor should we be fearful or in denial.   We are much more likely to be happy and healthy if we see ageing instead as a fact of life - for those of us fortunate to live long enough to experience it.

“We also need to think more about ageing as a country and how best to respond to it, and within Government, business and other sectors too. If we don’t, we are sleepwalking into a national crisis, and we can no longer ignore the facts or consequences of inaction. Along with climate change and the technology revolution, ageing is one of the big global trends that is increasingly impacting on us

“Age UK wants to change how we age so that all older people can live the lives they want to. We will always be there for the older people who need help, but we need to also remember the vital contribution they bring in myriad ways. Society can play a huge role in how we view ageing and older people in our communities and consequently how we feel about our own ageing when our turn comes. By changing society’s views for the better, we hope that future generations can arrive in later life better prepared for the challenges that ageing can bring and with more opportunities to get the most from it. Our end goal must be for older people to be valued and included – we have to change how we age.”

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:“The realities of older people’s lives are often misunderstood, with too much reliance placed on stereotypes that are out of date. The fact is that there is increasing diversity among our big and growing older population, within which some are doing well but others are seriously struggling. As a Charity we are committed to doing more to help those who really do need us, whether that’s because of low income, loneliness, an unmet health and care need or some other challenge. But the fact is that all of us stand to gain from a more balanced and informed view of ageing and of older people, and our country stands to benefit too, given how readily we seem to ‘write off’ the enormous contributions people make in their fifties, sixties and beyond – contributions we can ill afford to do without.”  

Age UK Ambassador, Dame Helen Mirren, adds: “Ageing happens to us all but, as we get older, life can get tougher. Many will start to be treated differently, which can not only be very upsetting but also unfair.

“Everybody, regardless of their age, should feel included and valued and that is what Age UK is striving to achieve. This is an ambitious but truly important challenge, as things need to change and it’s in all our interests to ensure that older people are respected and treated as the individuals that they are.”

Watch the video

 “Why is it that we value old objects, but not older people?”. https://youtu.be/dha6FIzKKx8?si=yXyMYZmUHtfhUEHR

Age UK strategy

Age UK wants to change how we age. Our report demonstrates that our older population is growing, increasingly diverse and facing substantial inequalities. We have also highlighted the range of difficulties – from loneliness to low income, poor health and a struggle to access the care they need – which many older people face, and which Age UK can help with. We want society to change so that all older people can live the lives they want, and that tomorrow’s generation of older people are able to arrive in later life better prepared for the challenges that ageing can bring.

Age UK’s new strategy focuses on three key areas in order to drastically improve life for older people and those approaching later life, as well as friends and family.

These are:

• Work shoulder to shoulder with older people to transform public attitudes
• Tackle poverty and inequality
• Ensure older people’s health and social care needs are recognised and fully met

Anyone wanting to help Age UK directly can:

• campaign with Age UK – help the Charity to make noise and lobby the government on important issues like poverty and social care.
• volunteer for Age UK – befriend an older person through the Charity’s friendship services or help out in its shops, everyone’s time is invaluable in helping to make a difference
• donate to Age UK – it can’t do any of this without the funding.

To find out more about Age UK and how it can help as well as its new strategy and Let’s change how we age, please visit: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/letschange

[i] This number refers to pensioners living on incomes lower than 60% of the median equivalised household income before housing costs (BHC)’