Ready for ageing - now? Lord Geoffrey Filkin reviews the House of Lords ‘Ready for Ageing’ report at 2017 MICRA annual public lecture
31 May 2017
This year’s MICRA annual public lecture was delivered by Lord Geoffrey Filkin, Chair of the Centre for Ageing Better. In a lecture entitled ‘Ready for ageing - now?’ Lord Filkin questioned the progress made since the publication of the House of Lords Select Committee report Ready for Ageing in 2013.
Four years after the publication of the report, Lord Filkin concluded that while progress has been made in certain areas, much still needs to be done to improve the quality of life of older people. Lord Filkin highlighted the importance for government to recognise ageing as an opportunity and older people as an asset. ‘Most politicians are focusing on the cost of more older people rather than on the potential of having better later lives,’ he argued. ‘Our policies would be so different and much better if they owned that.’
In order to realise this vision, Lord Filkin emphasised the need to develop a new narrative, campaign against ageism and empower people and communities. He also identified the promotion of an age-friendly economy, healthy ageing, and age-friendly places as key areas to address to better support an ageing population.
In spite of the difficult circumstances, the annual public lecture was a real success and was attended by 110 participants. For those who were not able to attend the event, please note that a recording of the lecture will be available on the MICRA website within the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can view the slides of Lord Filkin’s talk ‘Ready for ageing - now?' on SlideShare or read the online comments and discussion around the lecture on Twitter using the hashtag #Ready4Ageing.