The Annual Briefing by AGE UK about the health and care for older people in the UK was paused during the pandemic but returns this year. Their findings and statistics make for uneasy reading. When the NHS was founded and our adult social care system established 75 years ago, one in two people died before the age of 65. Now, fewer than one in seven people do so. Today, a 65-year-old man can expect to live another 18.5 years, and a 65-year-old woman 21. In 2023 there are 11 million people aged over 65 in England.
Longer life expectancy does not necessarily mean we will all develop ill health although this rises as we get older. Their conclusions and recommendations suggest a different approach and to spend the money available differently.
The abridged version of the Report is available below.
