If the 20th century was the century in which retirement from work became a universal experience in the most prosperous nations, the 21st century is likely to be the century in which old age is transformed into two contrasting experiences. For the majority and for the youngest cohorts of retired people improvements in health and standards of living offer the possibility of a period of life defined by forms of leisure retirement. This ‘Third Age’ can be contrasted with the experience of an old age defined by frailty, cognitive impairment and institutional care. Such a ‘Fourth Age’ becomes a fearful backdrop to those who feel that their ‘successful ageing’ is threatened by a descent into the dependency represented by the nursing home and other forms of institutional and community care. This presentation will outline the importance of understanding this new bifurcation of later life for the development of appropriate health and social care policies.
Read presenters' biography