Lords hear from Newcastle University academic as they warn that the UK is “woefully under-prepared” for the impact of the increasing number of people living to much older age.

The Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change has unveiled its report in which it says that half of today’s children will live to 103 and cites figures from the Office for National Statistics that forecast a 50% rise in the number of over-65s and a doubling in over-85s between 2010 and 2030.

The committee warns that society is not ready for the social and economic challenges in a report called "Ready for Ageing."

Professor Carol Jagger, AXA Prof of Epidemiology of Ageing (pictured) was invited to give evidence to the Lords: “I was asked to estimate the increases in demand for health and social care in the next decade due to the ageing of the population and specifically the burden of disease, such as arthritis, stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes and dementia and their associated disability.”

“The figures came from a simulation model I developed in the MAP2030 project and they starkly illustrate the problems we are going to be facing."

Professor Jagger features in the Guardian.

published on: 14 March 2013