Government's "Focus on older People"

Monday, 08 March 2010

A new government initiative called "Focus on older people" sets out to describe the lifestyles of people aged 50 and over in the UK today.

Included in the project is information on the various experiences, characteristics and lifestyles of older people with particular emphasis on age-related changes.

As with any other demographic, over 50s greatly vary in individual attitude and personality. Social expectations have changed greatly in recent decades and there is much more blurring of the various lifestyle stages. Of course many people remain healthy and active past the age of 50 and we wouldn't want to think otherwise!

More over 50s than ever are in paid employment and there is also a vast army of unpaid carers in this age group. Nevertheless, many over 50s are held back by pressures such as financial, health or transport difficulties.

One thing that emerges from the survey is that the older population in the UK is increasing. Over the last 25 years there has been an increase of 1.5 million people who are over 65, corresponding with a decrease of those aged 16 and younger of from 21 to 19 per cent. It is predicted that, by 2033, nearly a quarter of the population will be over 65, while 18 per cent will be aged 16 or younger.

However, while it is a fact that people are living longer, they often do so in poor health. Also, the gap between men and women in respect of healthy life expectancy is smaller than that between total life expectancy. In other words, older people are living longer in poor health than was previously the case.

The good news is that a larger number of older people over 50 own their own homes. Widowed people were the most likely to own their own homes.

As far as health is concerned, more older people were obese, an increase of 10 per cent to 30 per cent in 2007. About two thirds of over 75s were reported to have a long standing illness.

Social involvement ie being a member of a group decreased with age as people grew older. One in ten people over 50 in 2006 were found not to be a member of any socially active group and participation in social and recreational activities fell with age.

It is important for older people to maintain their interest and remain socially involved so recent government initiatives to encourage social participation are indeed paramount.

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