• New innovations, from digital twins in healthcare to driverless cars and smart home technologies, or AI-driven financial advice will transform the way we live – but ageism is limiting the potential.

With 96% of us online, it’s time for service providers and policymakers to be more confident that people of all ages are digitally ready. We can make better use of technology in designing products for our long lives, argues the International Longevity Centre (ILC), the UK’s leading authority on the impact of an ageing population.

A new futures report, published today by ILC and commissioned by Brightwell, a provider of services to defined benefit pension schemes, highlights how technology, demography and climate change will change our lives much more rapidly in the next twenty years than in the past two decades.

• From care in hospital to health at home: technology and digitalised connectivity will allow more health services to be delivered where we are, in our homes and communities.
• From reactive to predictive healthcare: Increasingly sophisticated AI tools and gene technology allow us to accurately simulate the consequences of real-world health decisions and predict individuals’ future risk of disease, facilitating early diagnosis and interventions, and helping to better personalise and target treatments.
• From the automobile to active travel: More people will walk, cycle, or make use of e-bikes, trikes and scooters to get around, benefitting from innovations in last-mile travel. Driverless cars will make it easier for us to stay connected and make longer journeys.
• From the office to the home: We will be working longer into old age but more of us will be using online platforms to continue working on things we are passionate about and where our skills can be best used. Fewer of us will need to do the long commute into the office.
• From shopping with cash to managing money using AI: Cash will become obsolete, while developments in generative AI will democratise access to financial information and advice.
• From Duolingo to a degree: More of us will be learning through our long lives using new digital platforms and AI. Educators will be freed up from paperwork and be able to spend more time actually teaching and AI can be used for smarter learning and assessment by tailoring lessons and targeting homework for individuals.

The ILC argues that innovation will be needed – and we need to think about how we make technology work for us – if we are to deliver healthier and happier longer lives, as not all the future trends on long lives are positive.

• The number of people aged 65 and over living alone in the UK is projected to increase by 41%, from 3.9 million in 2020 to 5.5 million by 2040. Meanwhile we will be less likely to be able to rely on our children for help. Previous research suggests that between 2010 and 2030, we’ll have seen a 67% increase in the number of over 65s without adult children.
• We spend an average of just 31 years in work between the ages of 15 to 65, which has reduced by six months between 2019 and 2022. To qualify for a full State Pension, individuals will usually need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions
• Mental health is an increasing concern among older adults. In England, 34% of women over 65 reported having symptoms of depression, along with 23% of men. The proportion of men who drink more than the recommended 14 units per week is highest among those aged 55 to 74. For women, the rate is highest among those aged 55 to 64.

David Sinclair, ILC’s Chief Executive commented:

“Climate change, demographic change and AI will transform the way we live long lives. With pretty much all of us online now, service providers need to stop patronising older people and start delivering usable innovations that help us have healthier and happier long lives.”

“Our obsession with youth means we are missing opportunities to drive innovation for long lives. Arguments about the need to address digital exclusion, too often become an excuse to slow down innovation. Too many in the industry and in wider society assume as we age, we become technologically illiterate. This ageist nonsense needs to be called out.”

Morten Nilsson, CEO, Brightwell said:

“There’s a perception that older people are less tech savvy, but we’ve found the opposite to be true.”

“While the members we serve are typically in their seventies, their expectations for simple, fast and easy to use online services are the same as any other age group.

“The pensions industry has lagged the wider financial services sector when it comes to keep pace with technological change, and this has resulted in frustration and lack of engagement.”

“Our new service that allows members to retire fully online using digital identification verification has been used by nearly 4,000 members since launch in February. These members are typically in their sixties and its proof that if you make it easy, digital channels will be embraced.”

The full report “The future of ageing in an uncertain world” can be downloaded here: https://ilcuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Future-of-Ageing-in-an-Uncertain-World_final.pdf

Ends

Notes and sources

The full report “The future of ageing in an uncertain world” can be downloaded here: https://ilcuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Future-of-Ageing-in-an-Uncertain-World_final.pdf

Accompanying the report is a short guide for service providers which can be downloaded here: https://ilcuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ILC-FOA-Service-provider-guide_final.pdf

A digital twin can be defined as a virtual model of an object or system that differs from a model in that it acts like the thing it represents. In healthcare, a digital twin could represent a population or even a human heart.

ILC’s report One hundred not out: a route map for long lives [December 2023]

The number of people aged over 65 who don’t have adult children is set to rise from 1.2 million in 2012 to 2 million by 2030 according to Ageing | Ageing Well Without Children (AWOC) (awwoc.org)

ILC Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index Prevention Index – ILCUK

Health Survey for England, 2021 Health Survey for England, 2021: Data tables – NHS England Digital

OECD (2019). UK Country health profile.

About Brightwell

Brightwell offers a comprehensive service to UK defined benefit pension schemes across funding and fiduciary, member administration and advisory services. Brightwell’s approach focusses on collectively owning problems, sharing solutions and collaborating for the long-term.

Brightwell won the Pensions Administrator award at the Pensions Age awards 2024. The Brightwell Pensions Academy won Training Scheme of the Year at the Professional Pensions Rising Star Awards 2023 and the Development and Talent Retention Award at the Pensions Management Institute’s Pinnacle Awards 2023.