Events > Caring for our Future: Supporting Active Ageing in the UK

Event Details

Title:

Caring for our Future: Supporting Active Ageing in the UK

Date:

Tuesday 17th April 2012

Time:

10.00am – 4:30pm

Venue:

Central London

Overview

Life expectancy has been growing steadily for over half a century and the UK has now reached a point where there are more people over State Pension age than there are children. People are living longer and healthier lives. In 1982, 30% of people were over the age of 50; in 2009 it was 34%, and by 2026 it will be 40%. With 17 million births recorded in Britain during 1946-64, this ‘baby-boom’ generation is now reaching retirement age and is set to have a dramatic effect on the society and economy of Britain. There are currently four people of working age supporting each pensioner in Britain; by 2050 this number is expected to fall to just two.

As the population ages, the cost of age-related health conditions will inevitably rise. In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia in the UK will double to 1.4 million, while costs could treble to over £50 billion a year. With the elderly becoming the fastest growing age group in Britain, increasing pressure is being placed on healthcare and social care services.

But the population is changing in positive ways too, economically active pensioners were 3% of the workforce in 1992, but were 5% in 2009. According to Department for Work and Pensions figures; by 2030, people over 50 will comprise almost a third of the workforce and almost half of the adult population. An increasingly older population doesn’t just represent a cost to the public sector – it also provides an opportunity to make the most of older people’s contributions to the community. Recognising this very important objective, the European Commission has designated 2012 as the ‘European Year for Active Ageing’.

With the demographics of society changing, the UK Government launched Caring for our future: Shared ambitions for care and support (September 2011) to ensure the care and support system is sustainable for the long term. Furthermore, a subsequent Social Care Reform White Paper (expected April 2012) will build on A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens (November 2010) setting out principles for a modern system of care and support.

As the two-year Ageing Well Programme comes to an end in April 2012, this timely symposium provides a key platform to assess how effective the programme has been in supporting local authorities to improve their services for older people. Delegates will have the opportunity to raise awareness of active ageing and stimulate debate to improve the vitality of older people, enhancing their involvement in society and encouraging inter-generational work.

Delegates will:

Gain an insight into the latest policy developments and examine the future of adult social care with an ageing population

Explore the positive contribution that older people make to society and the economy with greater participation in employment and volunteering

Discuss how to ensure the adult social care workforce is skilled, valued and supported

Develop effective approaches to inter-generational work and discuss the need to raise awareness of the value of active ageing

Consider how to work in partnership to overcome barriers facing the older generation and improving ways in which to integrate them into wider society

Programme