Partner Article
Britain needs better 'age proofing'
Researchers at Newcastle University are suggesting that a more positive approach is required towards the UK’s ageing rural population.
The authors of the report ‘Planning for the Ageing Countryside in Britain and Japan: City Regions and the Mobility of Older People’ state that the notion of ‘retirement to the countryside’ is outdated. They believe that many older people moving to these areas intend to remain economically and socially active. As a result, the government needs a major shift in its approach to older people to draw on the resources they have to offer and ‘age-proof’ our future better in the process.
Within the next 20 years, it is predicted that the number of over 75-year-olds living in England’s rural areas will rise by around 80%.
Dr Kayo Murakami, of Newcastle University’s Centre for Rural Economy, who led the research, said: “The time has come for rural areas to be at the forefront of developing innovative ways of tapping into the benefits offered by the demographic ageing process, and rural policy makers need to grasp this opportunity.”
Along with international colleagues, Newcastle University researchers are currently exploring the wider effects of demographic ageing on rural areas in the UK, Japan and the US.
Dr Jane Atterton, one of the study’s authors, said: “Rural England is at the cutting edge of the trend towards an ageing population which is going to happen everywhere, and this is our chance to adopt the right approach now, before it’s too late. “Many older people are wealthier, healthier and more active than their predecessors. Upon reaching retirement, many people have built up considerable economic and social resources that they can contribute to where they live.”
Evidence suggests that older people are more successful in starting a business than their younger counterparts. With higher employment rates for older age groups, the researchers believe that rural areas are taking the lead in reversing the national trend towards early retirement.
Dr Murakami said: “A change in society’s attitude towards older people is long over-due. Common stereotypes of older people as dependent and in need, which are deeply rooted, need to be challenged and broken down.”
This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .
Enjoy the read? Get Bdaily delivered.
Sign up to receive our popular morning National email for free.