Britain has an ageing population due to the combination of a decline in birth rates and an increase in life expectancy. A situation that will become more marked during the next two decades as the post-World War II baby boom retires. Despite this seismic shift in the demographic, the way we look at old people seems to have become more narrow minded. It is shocking, for example, that despite less than 1 in 20 British people wanting to reside in a care home in their old age, 1 in 5 die in one. It is time that we looked harder at looking after ourselves - we need to address the things that we take for granted as a right, not privilege. Why is housing not being built so that the less mobile amongst us can continue to look after ourselves for longer? Why when we have so much experience and no less intelligence are we not able to find work which benefits everyone? What are we supposed to do for fun? There must be more to life than bingo and bowls! Why is our approach to care so poor? If we neglect carers, will they not neglect us? The opportunity to make life better for the older generation is being missed, but not necessarily because the solutions are so difficult... Are we even asking ourselves the obvious questions? This is a call to arms - a manifesto on age that aims to change the way we think and to galvanise ourselves into action. | 
