In 2031, 23% of the population will be of pensionable age, and 17% will be under sixteen. Even now there are more pensioners than youngsters under 16. 20% of the UK's population is over 65, and as research on ways to increase survival continues this percentage is very likely to increase. On the one hand this prediction must surely be a good thing: we can look forward to a longer, higher quality life. On the other hand, bare statistics do not reflect the paradoxical culture of ageing in this and most other countries: we appear to want not better old age, but longer youth. Is this a fair expectation? And underlying this is a more profound question: for what purpose do we strive to extend life?

Lynne Berry, Chief Executive, WRVS, Professor Carol Brayne, Director, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge University, Professor Dame Sally Davies, Director General of Research and Development, Professor Tom Kirkwood, Director, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Professor Sarah Harper, Director, Oxford Institute of Ageing, Katharine Whitehorn, writer and columnist

 

This conference is kindly supported by the Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University and the King's College London Centre for Humanities and Health.

 

The registration fee for academics is £230, and £85 for students - inclusive of food and accommodation.