Home Instead Launch the New Ageing Index
Have you ever wondered what its like to grow older? Home Instead’s latest research, The New Ageing Index, unveils people’s real attitudes towards later life.
Getting older - expectations are changing!
Have you ever wondered what is like to be older? The increase in life expectancy is well documented but most people don’t think too much about what later life will be like and those that are already there are not asked.
For Home Instead this question is hugely important. We provide support to older people at home in Banbury, Bicester, Brackley, Towcester and all the villages across North Oxfordshire and South West Northamptonshire. Our aim is to improve the lives of clients and their families and so understanding what clients want from life is a big deal.
For this reason Home Instead has just released its Ageing Index which summarises survey data across 1000 people who were interviewed as part of this research. Interviewees included a diverse mix of people of different ages and backgrounds, including the country’s voluntary carers. The full survey can be downloaded here and provides some revealing insights.
We intend to repeat this exercise quarterly across a calendar year looking into different aspects of age and ageing each time.
So what did it tell us?
There’s a good deal of good information about what older people expect from life.
Staying heathy and active were key elements. Respondents were keen to embrace a healthy lifestyle and were also confident in the power of medical science to assist with the consequences of ageing.
- 66% of all respondents endorse diet and exercise as a means to stay youthful
- This rises to 76% among those who care for an older loved one
- 54% believe that both lifespan and healthspan will significantly improve over the next decade
- This rises to 67% among the over 75s
There is also a picture of a continuing appetite for life – perhaps most noticeably on the issue of staying active as you get older.
- An average 85% agree with the need to stay active
- Rising to 89% among over-75s.
- An average 58% agree that older people are not encouraged enough to play sport.
Such things not only contribute to a more enjoyable life but also have significant health impacts and can prevent or hamper the development of frailty – see post on this web site here.
Perceived potential enjoyment of old age and retirement increases with age, believing that this stage will be their most enjoyable.
- 47% for those aged 66-74
- 57% for over 75s
- Only 36% for those aged 35-54
What we fear most.
Our attitudes to being older change as we age. Anxiety about the ageing process declines as age increases. Asked if they would like to slow down the ageing process:
- 51% of 35-54s would
- 53% of 55-65s would
- 43% of 66-74s would
- 36% of 18-34 year olds feel they are ageing too quickly
- Only 26% of over 75s agreed with this.
Nevertheless there are specific conditions that tend to affect older age disproportionately and hold a degree of fear and anxiety. The big three are Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia and cancer (see further detail on dementia here). Seven out of 10 over 75’s are worried about not being able to look after themselves.
People also feel being older excludes them from particular areas of life and 77% agree that technology firms could make more money from older people.
No one is too old for love!
The lust for life extends into older people’s love lives too.
- 61% of all respondents say they want to remain sexually active as they get older,
- 53% among the over 75s.
- 50% of all respondents would be open to looking for love and be happy to start dating if they found themselves alone when older.
- Though only 15% of over 75s would use online dating apps.
