The way that society talks about older people and debates the challenges of our ageing population is often couched in extremes and based on assumptions about the millions of people who are aged over 65 in the UK today.

Later life can be a fantastic time. Every day at Independent Age we hear about the positive experiences people are having of older age.

But the evidence also shows that many people aged 65 and over are facing significant challenges and major inequalities exist. Many of the assumptions about older people simply do not apply to everyone over 65.

This project set out to explore the reality of life for older people whose voices can be less often heard in debates about ageing and what is important for people in this age group. It has focused on the experiences of specific groups of older people: people with mental or physical health conditions; people providing informal care; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups; people on low incomes; and people without children. Additional aspects were considered, such as sexuality and gender differences. 

For more specific findings by subgroup please go to our In Focus landing page to find snapshots of older age.