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The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed account of the work and contribution of the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities, a platform established to support the development of age-friendly communities across the UK.

This paper draws on a review of both external and internal working documents, communications with network representatives, and an in-depth interview conducted with the current manager of the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities.

Since its formation, the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities has provided cities with an important platform for knowledge exchange and peer support, and helped build commitment to the age-friendly agenda at the local, national and international level. Through the presentation of various examples, the article illustrates that network members have not only helped drive this agenda forward by developing a collective voice, but also by developing a wide range of initiatives at the local level.

Despite an increased interest in documenting age-friendly experiences around the world, the experience of national programmes remains under-explored in the age-friendly literature to date. To the knowledge, this paper is one of the first to describe the work and contribution of the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities.

This paper aims to highlight lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for planning for the future of our ageing society. It looks at trends, changes in our society and implications for people of all ages. It focusses on the importance of planning and whether COVID-19 will lead to long-term changes.

This paper draws on the author’s experiences running an intergenerational organisation during the pandemic and other work associated with ageing well.

This paper highlights some of the risks and unknowns we face going forwards and points to lessons and opportunities for “building back better”.

This paper is based on a review of published articles and viewpoints.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged people of all ages in different ways, some of which have tested intergenerational solidarity. At the same time, the pandemic has raised issues which we must all address going forward: planning for future pandemics, planning for an ageing society and ensuring that future planning works for all generations. This paper explores all these themes in the light of lessons from COVID-19. Firstly, despite much risk assessment and scenario planning, we were not well placed in the UK or across the world to respond to the multiple challenges of COVID-19. Have we learned the lessons to be able to deal better with the inevitable pandemics that will follow in the future? It is also well documented that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in our society. What will the long-term impact be for longevity and will less healthy lives reverse the trend of increasing life expectancy? Secondly, what are the lessons for our ageing society? As life expectancy rises, what will the quality of life be like in those added years? Many of today’s babies can expect to have a 100-year life. What does that mean for the way we lead our lives and can we ensure that everyone can age well? Third, these are not just issues for older people, but for people of all ages and generations. The Covid-19 experience has been different for younger and older people – whether it has been health or job security, income, taxation or housing. Questions of intergenerational fairness have again raised their heads, alongside the longer term impact for future generations.

Firstly, despite much risk assessment and scenario planning, we were not well placed in the UK or across the world to respond to the multiple challenges of COVID-19. Have we learned the lessons to be able to deal better with the inevitable pandemics that will follow in the future? It is also well documented that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in our society. What will the long-term impact be for longevity and will less healthy lives reverse the trend of increasing life expectancy? Secondly, what are the lessons for our ageing society? As life expectancy rises, what will the quality of life be like in those added years? Many of today’s babies can expect to have a 100-year life. What does that mean for the way we lead our lives and can we ensure that everyone can age well? Thirdly, these are not just issues for older people, but for people of all ages and generations. Measures that bring older and younger people together and encourage meaningful mixing will help increase understanding and awareness between generations. This has huge implications for our society and communities.

This paper reaches two main conclusions. Firstly, the well-known saying: “failing to plan is planning to fail”. This applies to all the issues discussed in this paper re future pandemics, our ageing society and future generations. Secondly, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic should be the catalyst for changing the way we live and lead to new beginnings. We cannot just carry on as before.

The purpose of this paper is to present alternative ways of addressing inequality in age-friendly work by drawing attention to the limitations of place-based approaches in meeting the needs of dispersed communities.

A case study of the age-friendly programme Ambition for Ageing (AfA) is used to explore three examples of working with minority communities.

Place-based age-friendly development risks further marginalising older people belonging to dispersed communities of identity or experience; therefore, we need to adopt adopt an intersectional approach to inequality in later life.

Three ways that age-friendly programmes may become more inclusive of minority groups who are geographically dispersed are identified: bringing community members together; co-production; and supporting visibility in mainstream settings.

This paper brings together insights from the AfA programme, critically assessing place-based approaches in relation to working with dispersed communities of identity. It offers some ways to mitigate limitations through adopting tailored equality approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to set out the history and origins of dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) and age-friendly communities (AFCs) in the UK, the differing frameworks and how they compare, and set out some key messages about how they might learn from each other.

This paper is a summary piece written by leaders in the two fields.

It aims to reduce potential confusion around AFCs and DFCs, and provides some practical ways that the two initiatives might work together and find common ground. By learning from each other, both age-friendly and DFCs can grow their reach and their impact as complementary, and not competing, programmes.

The original development of some of the ideas in this paper comes from a paper Natalie Turner co-wrote with Lydia Morken at AARP (www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/livable-communities/documents-2016/Better-Together-Research-Report.pdf). For this paper, the authors reviewed the approach within the UK context and have furthered and added to the original insights.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the likely needs and priorities of the 1960s baby boomers in later life (defined as those born in this country between 1960 and 1969 inclusive), based on their characteristics outlined in the accompanying paper.

A non-systematic search of academic and grey literature plus key policy and statistical data from sources including the Office for National Statistics to identify studies and data relevant to people born in the 1960s in the UK.

The 1960s baby boomers are characterised by high levels of education and technological proficiency and a youthful self-image. They have longer working lives and display greater levels of consumption than previous cohorts. These attributes will likely make this a highly demanding group of older people. Maintaining their health and function is important to this group so there is a scope for products that enable active and healthy ageing. Relatively high levels of childlessness may give rise to innovative housing solutions. At the same time, products that help the baby boomers stay independent at home will help alleviate pressure on social care.

There has been little examination of the needs of the 1960s baby boomers in the UK. Given that they stand on the brink of later life, it is timely to consider their likely needs as older people. In view of the size of this cohort, this group’s requirements in later life provide a significant opportunity for businesses to fill the current gaps in the market. Moreover, in the context of increasing neoliberalism, innovations that reduce the dependence of this large cohort on the state and facilitate self-reliance will benefit individuals and society.