The Ready for Ageing Alliance came together in 2013 following the publication of the House of Lords Committee Report by the Public Service and Demographic Change Committee.

The Committee had argued:

“We have concluded that the Government and our society are woefully underprepared. Longer lives can be a great benefit, but there has been a collective failure to address the implications and without urgent action this great boon could turn into a series of miserable crises”.

In September 2014, we published a manifesto urging the new (2015) Government to take “ageing” seriously. At a tip level we argued that:

1. Policymakers must lead the way: We need a single point of contact at Cabinet level in Government to lead on ageing policy.

2. Policy must adapt to the future challenges of demographic change: Government must focus on delivering health and social care investment and innovation for today’s and tomorrow’s retirees. We need to build more and better homes for people of all ages. Government must help create the conditions in which individuals can keep making their economic and social contributions into later life. Communities must be able to meet the aspirations of people of all ages and help reduce loneliness and isolation. And we must stop age discrimination.

3. Individuals must be better prepared for ageing: We all, as individuals, have a responsibility to ensure we are ready for ageing. But with that responsibility must come rights. We must have a right to learn, a right to an adequate income and a right not to be discriminated against.

4. The voluntary sector has a responsibility too: We need to help tackle the challenges of ageing. We must innovate, challenge and break traditional boundaries. We must help deliver new projects whilst supporting what we know works. We have a responsibility to set a new agenda for ageing.

Members of the Ready for Ageing Alliance (R4AA) are: Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Anchor, Carers UK, Centre for Ageing Better, Centre for Policy on Ageing, the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK), Independent Age, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.