Introducing the Centre for Ageing Better
At the Centre for Ageing Better, we’re working to achieve a future in which everyone can enjoy a good later life. The UK’s population is undergoing a massive age shift. In less than 20 years, one in four people will be over 65 (source: Office for National Statistics). Our focus is on those approaching later life – roughly aged 50-70 years old, and crucially we’re seeking to target those at most risk of missing out. If we can get things right for those approaching later life, we can we create a society which is fit for purpose now and in the future, as our population continues to age.
This dramatic age shift presents massive opportunities and challenges – which is why ageing is one of the four Grand Challenges of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. Alongside climate change, population growth and digital transformation, our ageing society is one of the key issues which places have to respond to.
There is significant variation in how local areas are undergoing this demographic shift and how they are experiencing huge inequalities in health and wealth. Responding to these challenges will require place-based local approaches that take into account the different context of each area. That is why Ageing Better is working with local areas in a range of different ways.
Working across four priority goals – fulfilling work, connected communities, safe and accessible housing, and healthy ageing – Ageing Better takes a holistic approach to improving ageing, recognising the complex and interrelated nature of our lives and the places in which we live. We are working with strategic partners in Greater Manchester, Leeds and now Lincolnshire across all our priority areas as well as on seizing the economic opportunities of an ageing population.
We teamed up with Transport for Greater Manchester to fund an age-friendly review of its transport strategy, which identified areas for improvement such as training for bus drivers. We are working with Leeds and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop an innovative, integrated brokerage model for community transport as part of a wider capital investment across the city region.
We’ve worked with both Leeds City Council and Greater Manchester respectively to map and evaluate the housing information available for those approaching later life and to understand what people want from their housing as they get older. Our work on aids and adaptations carried out with Care & Repair England looked at local practice and identified the elements of high-quality and innovative local practice in the provision of home adaptations for older people across the country.
We are also seeking to influence both national and local housing policy. We co-chair a coalition of ten organisations, the Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) coalition, campaigning for more accessible homes to be built. The coalition is pushing the government to change the building regulations to put in place a higher minimum standard for accessibility and adaptability for all new homes so that more people are able to live in suitable housing as they grow older, reducing the need for social care.
We know that most people want to continue living in their own home, rather than a specialist retirement or care home. Yet much of our housing stock is in poor repair and hazardous to health. We’ve recently launched the Good Home inquiry looking at policy solutions to improve the quality of existing homes, including by harnessing the decarbonisation agenda to raise the quality of our homes so that they support us to remain living there safely and comfortably as we age.
But even the most accessible and age-friendly home can be isolating if it is not part of a well-connected community. Access to public transport, grocery stores, chemists, medical clinics and exercise spaces are all key factors in creating a socially and economically inclusive community that promotes healthy ageing.
Taking this kind of holistic approach to creating age-friendly places is at the heart of the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities. Affiliated to the World Health Organisation’s Global Network, membership includes 41 towns, cities, districts and counties covering a population of around 22 million. This is where older residents are working alongside local groups, councils, businesses and other services to shape communities in which they live, work and serve. This means changes in both the built and social environments, for example transport, outdoor spaces, volunteering and employment, leisure and community services. Councils of any size can apply to join and be part of this growing network of places.
If you’re interested in learning more about our work, please do get in contact with [email protected]
[1] Source: Office for National Statistics (2019), ‘Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/ populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland