Centre for Ageing Better

A UK initiative fostering elder participation

Population projections show that in 2024 more than one in four UK residents will be over 60. There are already as many people aged 60 and over as there are aged 18 and below. Many older people enjoy a good later life, but others risk ill-health, poverty and loneliness. At the same time many people in mid-life are struggling to get by and aren’t in a position to think about planning for the future. The purpose of the Centre for Ageing Better is to drive the changes needed so that more people will benefit from their longer lives.

Founded in 2014, this lottery-funded charitable organisation’s goal is to encourage and support meaningful and fulfilling work opportunities, paid and voluntary, for older people. For younger ‘oldies’, the 55-to-65 year olds, the emphasis is on equal opportunities for older workers and the best ways to find appropriate work; for over-65s it’s as much about useful and satisfying volunteering and social involvement.

The Centre’s chair, Lord Filkin, chaired the House of Lords Select Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change, which delivered the 2013 report Ready for Ageing?, which highlighted the gap between ‘the reality and the response’ – and how government and society ‘are woefully underprepared’ for a future with far greater numbers of older people.

The Centre’s initiatives include health campaigning, community building and accessibility, all with the goal of active participation and fulfilling involvement. Its website is inspiring, with plenty of resources and links.