Future of Ageing 2022

Conference

Date:
Thursday, 24 November 2022

Time:
9.00am – 5.00pm GMT

Location:
Wellcome Collection, London

Event Details

Future of Ageing 2022: A vision for the next 25 years

Do you remember where you were when Tony Blair became PM? Or when Dolly the Sheep was cloned? Were you first in the queue to buy a Nintendo64? Or the first Harry Potter book? Were you one of the 250,000 people watching Oasis at Knebworth Park or the 33 million who bought Candle in the Wind?

A lot has changed since the International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC) was founded in 1997. The world population has increased by 2 billion and the proportion of those aged 65+ has increased by 50%.

But how has the way we think about longevity and ageing changed over the past quarter of a decade? And more importantly, what might change over the next 25 years? We would like to hear your views on what has changed in the last 25 years and what more needs to do so in the next. Take our survey here.

On Thursday, 24 November we held our 2022 Future of Ageing conference where we invited delegates and speakers to help shape a vision for our future in the light of increased longevity. During Future of Ageing 2022 we explored:

  • How has policy and practice on longevity changed over the past 25 years?
  • Has business, government and the third sector responded adequately to increasing longevity?
  • What do we know that we didn’t know 25 years ago?
  • What needs to happen in the next 25 years?

About the conference:

  • Future of Ageing is an annual policy conference which explores the impact of longevity on society and what happens next.
  • Every year, the conference assembles experts from Government, business and third sector, academia and the media.
  • Attendees come from a wide range of sectors from health to housing, to retirement income and education.
  • While the conference takes place in London, participants and speakers join us from across the world.

Future of Ageing 2022 was sponsored by Phoenix, Roche, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Centre for Ageing Better and LV=

Stephen Burke, CEO, Hallmark Foundation

Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing, Alzheimer’s Society

Naomi Clayton, Deputy Director, Learning and Work Institute

Professor Lynne Corner, National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and VOICE

Lord Nigel Crisp, All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health

Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician

Ailsa Forbes, Retail Impact Fellow ILC-UK

Catherine Foot, Phoenix Insights, Phoenix

Professor Martin Green, Chair, ILC-UK

Professor Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics

Arunima Himawan, Senior Health Research Lead, ILC-UK

Richard Humphries, Social care commentator & expert

Professor Simonetta Longhi, Department of Economics, University of Reading

Professor Louise Haagh, Department of Politics, University of York

George MacGinnis, Healthy Ageing Challenge Director, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Kate Jopling, Policy and Strategy Consultant

Georgina Maratheftis, Associate Director of Local Public Services, techUK

Professor Les Mayhew, Head of Global Research ILC-UK and Professor of Statistics at Bayes Business School

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights, LCP

Shirley Do Nascimento, Associate, HUDL Youth Development Agency

Nicola Oliver, Medical Intelligence

Conn O’Neil, Roche

Professor Dame Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University

Daniel Seifu, Young Consultant, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

David Sinclair, Chief Executive ILC-UK

Natalie Turner, Deputy Director for Localities, Centre for Ageing Better

Dr Andy Woodhead, Dementia Voice and Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru & Marie Curie

Lord Woolley of Woodford, Principal, Homerton College, Cambridge and founder Operation Black Vote

 

 

Prof Martin Green OBE, Chair, ILC-UK

Prof Martin Green has been Chief Executive of the English Community Care Association, which is the largest representative body for Community Care in England, since November of 2004. Prior to his appointment at ECCA, Martin has had an extensive career in NGO development, both in the UK and internationally and has been Chief Executive of five British Charities, Co-ordinator of the Coalition for Quality in Care, a Trustee of Age Concern England, the UK’s largest Charity for Older People and Policy Advisor to the Nuffield Phoenix Fund. In 2005 Martin was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute of Public Sector Managers (FIPSM) and in 2006 a Fellowship of the Institute of Association Management (FIAM) As Chief Executive of ECCA Martin writes extensively on care issues and has regular columns in Caring Business, Caring Times and is on the Editorial Board of Community Care Market News.

David Sinclair, ILC-UK

David has worked in policy and research on ageing and demographic change for 20 years.

David has a particular interest in older consumers, active ageing, financial services, adult vaccination, and the role of technology in an ageing society. He has a strong knowledge of UK and global ageing society issues, from healthcare to pensions and housing to transport.

David has presented on longevity and demographic change across the world (from Seoul to Singapore and Sydney to Stormont). And he has published reports on a range of topics including transport, technology, health and consumption.

David has worked as an expert for the pan-European Age Platform for 15 years and is the former Vice-Chair of the Government’s Consumer Expert Group for Digital Switchover. For ten years he chaired a London based charity (Open Age) which enables older people to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain active lifestyles and develop new and stimulating interests.

Prior to joining the ILC, David worked as Head of Policy at Help the Aged where he led a team of 8 policy advisors. David has also worked for environmental and disability organisations in policy and public affairs functions. His other experience includes working as a VSO volunteer in Romania, in Parliament for a Member of Parliament, and with backbench committees.

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights, LCP

Stuart is Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights at LCP. He works across the Actuarial and Health Analytics teams, helping clients understand and manage the long-term health and economic implications of the pandemic. Prior to joining LCP he held a variety of commercial and technical roles with insurers and reinsurers.

Stuart plays an active role within the actuarial profession, currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Continuous Mortality Investigation. Early in 2020 he founded and co-chairs the COVID-19 Actuaries Response Group.

Stuart was awarded an MBE for services to Public Health in the 2022 New Year Honours.

Professor Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics

Charles Goodhart’s career has alternated between academia (Cambridge, 1963-65; LSE, 1967/68; again 1985-date), and work in the official sector, mostly in the Bank of England (Department of Economic Affairs, 1965/66; Bank of England, 1968-85; Monetary Policy Committee, 1997-2000).  He has been a specialist monetary economist, focussing on policy issues and on financial regulation, but more recently has focussed on the effect of demographic issues on macroeconomic policy, in his book on The Great Demographic Reversal.  He is also the author of ‘Goodhart’s Law’, that when a statistical relationship is turned into a target, that relationship then collapses.

Prof. Simonetta Longhi, Department of Economics, University of Reading

Simonetta Longhi is Professor in Economics at the University of Reading.  She is an applied economist interested in understanding how circumstances and people’s behaviour create disadvantage for women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.  Her research interests focus on inequality in education, labour market outcomes, unemployment, and retirement.  Her research has been published in leading academic journals and part of it has been supported by funders such as the European Commission, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician

Professor Sir Ian Diamond FBA FRSE FAcSS became National Statistician on 22 October 2019. Sir Ian previously served as a non-executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board from June 2018 to August 2019. He was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 2010 to 2018. Previous to this, he was Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and, from 2004 to 2009, Chair of the Research Councils UK Executive Group. Before joining the ESRC, Sir Ian was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton, where he had been for most of his career.

Richard Humphries, Social care commentator & expert

Richard is a recognised national commentator on social care reform and author of the recently published book ‘Ending the Social Care Crisis’.  His current roles include Senior Policy Advisor to the Health Foundation, trustee of ADASS, Visiting Professor at the University of Worcester and member of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York Commission on Reimagining Care. He was Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund from 2009 to 2021. He is Over the past 45 years he has worked in a variety of roles, including as director of social services and health authority chief executive and in senior roles in the Department of Health.

Stephen Burke, CEO, Hallmark Care Homes Foundation

Stephen Burke is CEO of two charitable foundations: Hallmark Care Homes Foundation, promoting ageing well, and the Hemraj Goyal Foundation, tackling disadvantage in the UK and India. He is also co-founder of United for All Ages, an intergenerational ‘think-do’ tank bringing older and younger people together to create a Britain for all ages. Previously Stephen was chief executive of two national care charities. Stephen has held public leadership positions as councillor and leader of a London borough and on NHS boards in London and Norfolk. He has been a trustee and chair of twenty national and local charities.

Professor Louise Haagh, Department of Politics, University of York

Louise Haagh is Professor in Politics at the University of York. Her work looks at problems relating to social and economic justice, the ethics and politics of development, comparative capitalism and welfare states, and human development ethics and governance. A particular interest is the link between institutions and well-being and in the formative role of motivational theories and statistical measurement in comparative public policy.

Louise has designed and carried out surveys on institutions of representation, and economic security and well-being in middle-income countries. More recently, her work centres on governing properties of comparative welfare state evolution, with a contemporary focus on Anglo-Liberal and Nordic states.

She has acted as expert on economic security for a range of international organisations, including the World Bank, the Council of Europe, the World Health Organisation, and the Organisation of American States. She is chair of the Basic income Earth Network, a global educational charity based in the UK, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and patron of the Citizens Basic Income Trust.

Georgina Maratheftis, Associate Director of Local Public Services, techUK

Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with local public services to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local public services and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face and improve outcomes for our people and places.

Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.

Professor Dame Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University

Professor Dame Louise Robinson, is an academic GP and Professor of Primary Care and Ageing at Newcastle University.  She was the first GP to be awarded a prestigious NIHR Professorship.  Professor Robinson also holds the first UK Regius Professorship in Ageing.

Louise leads a research programme focused on improving quality of life and quality of care for older people, especially those with dementia.  She leads 1 of only 3 Alzheimer Society national Centres of Excellence on Dementia Care.  Louise was primary care lead for the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge and is a member of the National Dementia Care Guidelines development group.

Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing, Alzheimer’s Society

Fiona Carragher joined the Alzheimer’s Society as Chief Policy and Research Officer in January 2019. She leads our growing and ambitious world-class research programme and portfolio, as well as our work to strengthen our position as the national charity leader on dementia health, social care policy and societal change.

Before joining the Alzheimer’s Society, Fiona was the Deputy Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England, supporting the 50,000-strong healthcare science workforce in the NHS. She worked on programmes ranging from antimicrobial resistance to hearing loss.

A consultant clinical biochemist by background, Fiona has worked for two decades at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals and King’s College Hospital in London, and at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Fiona wants to change the conversation on dementia so that it centres on the rights of people affected by the condition, and to drive research towards improving care and finding a cure.

Conn O’ Neill, Public Affairs Partner, Roche

Conn O’Neill is a Public Affairs Partner at Roche UK where he works with patient groups, politicians and partners in the health system to campaign for improved patient outcomes.

George MacGinnis, Challenge Director for Healthy Ageing, UKRI

George MacGinnis leads the £98 million Healthy Ageing Challenge, a research and innovation programme supporting the UK Government’s Ageing Society Grand Challenge to ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest.

Nicola Oliver, Director of Life and Health, Medical Intelligence

Nicola is considered a leading expert in Public Health and associated Mortality, Morbidity & Longevity risk.

She is a member of The Royal College of Nursing & The Royal Society of Medicine.  Nicola is also an affiliate member of The Institute & Faculty of Actuaries where she sits on The Health & Care Board, is Chair of the Diabetes Working Party, Deputy Chair of the Antibacterial Resistance Working Party.  In March 2020, Nicola co-founded the Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group which she currently co-chairs, subsequently joining the Covid-19 Action Taskforce.

Prof. Les Mayhew, Head of Global Research, ILC-UK

Les joined ILC in October 2020 as Head of Global Research and will be working on a range of ILC research projects as well as enhancing our research approach and strategy. Les is also part-time Professor of Statistics at The Business School (formerly Cass), City University, London, and Managing Director of Mayhew Harper Associates Ltd. His previous experience includes 20 years in the Department of Health and Social Security, the Department of Social Security, HM Treasury and the Office for National Statistics, where he was a director. He is an alumnus of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Vienna, an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, and a member of the Royal Economic Society.

Dr Andrew Woodhead

Andy Woodhead is a lecturer, former lawyer, and is living with Dementia. Andy is Dementia Voice and Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru & Marie Curie, Dementia Champion, PPI Member of the Heath Hospital Board of Studies, Advisor to Public Health Wales / Social Care Wales / Improvement Cymru, He is also a Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust Trainer, University Lecturer, a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant and a public speaker. 

Lord Woolley of Woodford, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge

Lord Simon Woolley has been the Principal of Homerton College since October 2021. He was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2019 and was created a life peer in December of the same year. He sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.

Simon is the Founding Director of Operation Black Vote launched in 1996. OBV works with ethnic minorities in the UK to increase understanding of civic society, participation in Parliament and public life, and to promote equality and human rights.

Formerly an Equality and Human Rights Commissioner, in 2018 Lord Woolley was appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May to create and lead the UK Government’s pioneering Race Disparity Unit. The Unit collects, analyses and publishes data on how crime, education and health are affected by ethnicity.

Fostered and then adopted as a small child, Lord Woolley grew up on a council estate in Leicester, and left school without A-levels. He later returned to formal study via an access course and gained a BA in Spanish and English Literature at Middlesex University and an MA in Hispanic Studies at Queen Mary University of London. He is passionate about educational access and the importance of recognising and supporting marginalised potential.

Lord Woolley has a track record of addressing representational imbalances, transforming institutions, and nurturing individuals. His cross-party and cross-sector work with Operation Black Vote has seen the number of MPs from black and minority ethnic backgrounds rise from 4 to 65 over the past two decades. In collaboration with Magdalen College, Oxford, he has been instrumental in the development of Pathway to Success, a programme designed to equip future BME leaders with the tools and knowledge required for senior leadership.

Catherine Foot, Director, Phoenix Insights

Catherine Foot is Director of Phoenix Insights, a new think tank set up to transform the way society responds to the possibilities of longer lives. Phoenix Insights is part of The Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business.

Catherine is a research and policy specialist in ageing and longevity, and from 2015 to 2021 was Director of Evidence at the Centre for Ageing Better, a charitable foundation funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, and part of the government’s What Works Network. Catherine has also held senior roles at the health and social care think tank The King’s Fund, and the medical research charity Cancer Research UK.

Naomi Clayton, Deputy Director, Learning and Work Institute

Naomi is a Deputy Director at L&W. Naomi has more than 16 years’ experience in policy and research with specialisms in skills, employment and labour market disadvantage issues. Recent and ongoing work includes the evaluation of DWP’s Restart Scheme, employer investment in skills, inequalities in access to apprenticeships, and local area support on skills and employment policy and practice developed in partnership with a cross-departmental working group. Prior to joining L&W, Naomi was Deputy Director at the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, and Policy and Research Manager at Centre for Cities where she was responsible for developing and overseeing programmes to support effective policy and practice.

Dr Ian Manborde, Equality & Diversity Organiser, Equity

Dr. Ian Manborde is the Equality & Education Officer for Equity, the UK trade union for creative practitioners. It represents over 48,000 actors and creative workers including directors, designers, choreographers, dancers, singers, entertainers, comedians, stage management and audio artists. Ian is responsible for all equality matters (including on age) and manages policy, strategy and campaigns on behalf of the union. In his session today he will focus on the key challenges facing older creative practitioners across the entertainment industry and underline where the union’s priorities are for achieving for achieving fair, inclusive employment practice.

The Lord Crisp KCB

Lord Nigel Crisp is an independent crossbench member of the House of Lords in the UK and works and writes mainly on global health. He was Chief Executive of the English NHS and Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health, from 2000 to 2006.  He has subsequently worked mainly pro-bono in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Nigel Crisp founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health and the global campaign on nursing, Nursing Now, both of which he co-chaired. His recent book Health is Made at Home, Hospitals are for Repairs is published by Salus Global.

Ailsa Forbes, Retail Fellow, ILC-UK

Ailsa Forbes joined ILC in July 2022 as Retail Impact Fellow. She worked extensively in the heritage and tourist sector as a retail buyer and product developer specialist. Abbey Road Studios, Courtauld Gallery, Royal Collection Trust, London Fashion Week, V&A and the Wellcome Collection are some of the exemplary organisations she has been involved with.

Stephen Spencer FRSA FTS – Founder + Ambience Director, Stephen Spencer + Associates

Stephen Spencer’s business journey started in the High Street at age 15 and took him to Regent Street, via the Tower of London, and to Buckingham Palace by the age of 30. A combination of luck, curiosity and thinking differently enabled his contribution to the cultural retail revolution of the early 1990s. Since then, Stephen has worked with, studied, learned from, and helped some of the brightest stars and most prestigious brands in the retail, leisure, and tourism sectors. He is particularly interested in the future of employment, and of the High Street.

Professor Lynne Corner, National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and VOICE

Professor Lynne Corner is COO of the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and Director of VOICE. NICA works with businesses to bring to market products and services for healthy ageing, co-designed with VOICE – a large network of citizens, who help identify opportunities, needs and wants. VOICE has members across the UK and chapters in Singapore, Italy, Australia, US and Canada. A gerontologist by background, she has a particular interest in dementia and data and is a Trustee of the Lewy Body Society.

Natalie Turner, Deputy Director for Localities, Centre for Ageing Better

Natalie’s goal is to create more places where people can live a good later life. Her team works through partnerships with Greater Manchester, Leeds and Lincolnshire. The centre also supports the UK affiliate network for the WHO’s Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities.

Natalie has been working on ageing issues locally, nationally, and internationally since 2010. She was previously at AARP in Washington, DC – translating international practice for a US audience.

Lily Parsey, Head of Projects (Maternity cover) ILC-UK

Lily leads ILC-UK’s policy, public affairs and influencing activity in the UK and across the world. Her work spans all policy areas, from health and care, to intergenerational relations, to the future of work. She has a particular interest in the prevention of ill health and has spoken on the topic at a number of conferences, workshops and webinars across the world. She has been quoted in the media, including in The Guardian, Forbes and BBC Radio among others. Lily sits on the Advisory Board of the Age Action Alliance and previously managed the Innovating for Ageing Awards.

Betty Pearl, Movement Leader, The Advocacy Academy

Betty (she/they) is a Movement Leader at youth organising movement The Advocacy Academy. She is also a Young Consultant for Esmée Fairbairn and is currently doing a lot of thinking about co-production between young people and organisations with HUDL Youth Development Agency. She loves travelling, movies that make her laugh and cry and trying new foods.

Daniel Seifu, Young Consultant, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Dan Seifu works with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation as a Young Consultant within the Involving Young People Collective, seeking to design and test new ways for the foundation to involve young people in their work, and improve their practice. Dan is also a researcher at Think NPC helping funders and charities to maximise their social impact. Finally, he works as a trustee with Possible, a climate action charity.

Shirley Do Nascimento, Associate, HUDL Youth Development Agency

Shirley is a HUDL associate with a background in research, community-building interventions and Health. Her professional experiences include working with BBC Children in Need to empower black youth through social action, advocating for social and health equity for minority groups, and collaborating with public and private sector organisations to increase public health awareness at a local level.

David Sinclair, ILC-UK

 
Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights, LCP

 

Prof. Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics

 

Prof. Simonetta Longhi, Department of Economics, University of Reading

 

Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician

 

Richard Humphries, Social care commentator & expert

 

Prof. Louise Haagh, Department of Politics, University of York

 

Prof. Dame Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University

 

The Lord Crisp KCB

 

Ailsa Forbes, Retail Fellow, ILC-UK

 

Natalie Turner, Deputy Director for Localities, Centre for Ageing Better

Morning
25 years: Setting the scene   
Welcome and tribute to Baroness Sally Greengross Prof. Martin Green OBE, Chair, ILC UK

25 years of change: Where are we now and what happens next?

Watch this opening session here.

David Sinclair, ILC

The past, present and future: What does the data show?

To watch this session, see here.

 

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights, LCP

Prof. Charles Goodhart; Emeritus Professor of Banking and Finance with the Financial Markets Group, London School of Economics

Prof. Simonetta Longhi, Department of Economics, University of Reading

Prof. Louise Haagh, Department of Politics, University of York

Keynote: The Future of Ageing: A Statistical Assessment Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician
The future of health and care   

Groundhog day or a light at the end of the tunnel? The future of care and technology

Watch this session here.

 

Richard Humphries, Social care commentator & expert.

Dr Andrew Woodhead (Andy), Dementia Voice and Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru & Marie Curie

Georgina Maratheftis, Associate Director of Local Public Services, techUK

Stephen Burke, CEO, Hallmark Foundation

Time for the Dementia Moonshot? The future of dementia

This session can be seen here.

 

Prof. Louise Robinson, Professor of Ageing at Newcastle University

Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing, Alzheimer’s Society

Conn O’ Neill, Public Affairs, Roche

The future of health: Will the Government deliver on its healthy ageing targets or will we see deepening inequalities?

Have a look at the session here.

 

 

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights, LCP

George MacGinnis, Challenge Director for Healthy Ageing, UKRI

Prof. Les Mayhew, Head of Global Research, ILC

Nicola Oliver, Director of Life and Health, Medical Intelligence

Lunch
Afternoon
The future of work, skills and money   
Keynote: Skills, jobs and equity for all Lord Woolley of Woodford, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge

Skills shortages and disillusionment: Designing the skills and workplaces of the future

Watch this session here.

Lord Woolley of Woodford, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge

Catherine Foot, Director of Phoenix Insights

Kate Jopling, Policy consultant

Naomi Clayton, Deputy Director, Learning and Work Institute

The future of communities   

Places, city centres and the high street: How do get we get ageing on the agenda?

The session can be seen here.

Lord Nigel Crisp KCB

Ailsa Forbes, Retail Fellow, ILC

Prof. Lynne Corner, National Innovation Centre for Ageing

Natalie Turner, Deputy Director for Localities, Ageing Better

Greengross debate on the future:
Younger people’s views on the future of ageingThis session can be viewed here.

Arunima Himawan, Senior Health Research Lead

Daniel Seifu, Young Consultant, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Shirley Do Nascimento, Associate, HUDL Youth Development Agency

Closing address David Sinclair, ILC
Networking

What’s changed in 25 years?

In the UK, over the past quarter of a century:

  • The State Pension Age has increased and become more generous. The Pension Commission has led to millions more people being auto-enrolled into private pensions.
  • Age discrimination legislation has been introduced and compulsory retirement ages are a thing of the past for most of us.
  • Care across the life course has attracted growing political and policy attention.

Globally, we have seen even more significant change:

  • Life expectancy at birth has increased from about 66 to almost 73 years across the world
  • More than a billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty
  • Innovations in health have delivered significant improvements

But progress in many areas is limited. In the UK:

  • Inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy have grown.
  • While more of us are working longer into our lives, 50-64 year olds are still less likely to be in employment than people aged 25-49. Opportunities to learn to support longer working lives are limited.
  • The public sector has built very few new homes and the private sector hasn’t been able to fill the gap for first- or last-time buyers.
  • The 1997 Labour Manifesto commitment to “establish a Royal Commission to work out a fair system for funding long-term care” was the first in many failed attempts to create a consensus for reform on social care.

And globally:

  • Almost 60 million children in primary school age are not in school
  • Only 20% of older people in low-income countries receive a pension
  • Climate Change and antimicrobial resistance threatens progress made over the past 25 years

Arguably the biggest driver of societal change over the past quarter century has been new technology. Easier to use and more affordable personal technology connected to the internet has transformed our access to information, services and products. But are we making the most of technology?

We would like to hear your views on what has changed over the last quarter of a century and your thoughts on what should happen over the next 25 years.

Please take our survey via the link below.

TAKE OUR 25 YEAR SURVEY

Ten reasons to join this year’s conference

  1. Attend the only UK annual conference focussed on the impact of longevity on society.
  2. Mix with old friends and new at our full day conference in London.
  3. Join a diverse audience of policymakers; business bosses; charity leaders; public sector decision makers; local authority professionals; academics; and journalists.
  4. Network with experts, from health, housing, finance and beyond.
  5. Debate whether business, government and the third sector responded adequately to increasing longevity.
  6. Discuss what has changed in the way we think about longevity and ageing over the past quarter of a decade, and what hasn’t.
  7. Help us instil fresh thinking into well-worn debates.
  8. Listen to a group of high-profile UK and international speakers thinking the unthinkable about the opportunities of longevity.
  9. Judge for yourself whether it’s “one of the best conferences I have ever attended”.
  10. Help us create a vision for longevity and ageing over the next 25 years.

News

Future of Ageing 2022 – A vision for the next 25 years

The International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC), the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, is hosting its eighth annual Future of Ageing conference on Thursday, 24 November 2022. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, ILC will use this conference to reflect, take stock and look forwards.

READ MORE

Previous conferences

Future of Ageing 2022 is our eight annual Future of Ageing conference. Take a look at some of the highlights from our previous conferences below.

Sponsorship

Thank you to the Phoenix Group, Roche, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Centre for Ageing Better, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and LV= for sponsoring this year’s conference.

If you’re interested in helping to shape the agenda of the UK’s main conference focussed on longevity, please get in touch with Paul Goulden at PaulGoulden@ilcuk.org.uk.