Addressing the needs of an ageing population

Increasing longevity is recognised as one of the major achievements of modern healthcare systems. In Britain 100 years ago, men lived on average for 52.5 years and women for 56.1 years. In 2015, average life expectancy was 79.6 years for men and 83.1 years for women.1 However, this increased longevity also brings challenges to health and social care systems worldwide. While many people are living longer, they also need support to enable them to enjoy life and continue to be valued members of communities. As people age, so their needs for support change and grow, and in the last years of life many will experience substantial care needs. 

The number of people living over the age of 65 is growing fast and the UK population is projected to continue growing, reaching over 74 million by 2039. According to the Office for National Statistics, by then 18 per cent of the population will be aged 65 and over and 2.4 per cent will be aged 85 and over.2

Research by Newcastle University predicts there will be an additional 353,000 older people in the UK with complex needs by 2025.3This means Britain will need a predicted additional 71,000 care home spaces in the next eight years. This challenge can be addressed in two ways: by creating additional capacity and by working to reduce the number of older people needing social care support by adopting a radical approach to transforming care environments into centres of health and activity for older people. If we are to ‘add life to years’ as well as ‘years to life’, the UK care sector needs to look at what is happening in other countries in order to learn and share experiences and approaches that will transform outcomes for older people.