Conference will tackle inequalities of an ageing population

Smiling multi-ethnic senior friends

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan will outline his latest plans for making London an age friendly city as part of a two-day virtual conference on 15 November.

Sadiq Khan said:

I’m determined to do everything I can to make London a fairer, more inclusive city for everyone and listening to older Londoners is essential to shaping a more equal future for us all.

That’s why I’m proud to be a part of this conference and build on the commitments I’ve made as Mayor to reduce barriers to decent jobs for older workers, reduce digital exclusion, provide more accessible and adaptable homes, and going forwards, to ensure the views and needs of older Londoners are embedded in our city’s long-term recovery from the pandemic.

Healthy Ageing Conference 2021

The Healthy Ageing Conference 2021 is hosted by UK Research and Innovation’s healthy ageing challenge and the Centre for Ageing Better.

The conference will:

  • lead discussion about key challenges in healthy ageing including:
    • social inequality
    • digital transformation
    • user-centred design
  • help to ensure we all remain as active, productive, independent, and socially connected as possible as we age.

Thought leaders and innovators

Healthy Ageing 2021 brings together:

  • thought leaders
  • innovators
  • academics
  • policy makers.

It will also feature:

  • a keynote speech by Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care
  • the launch of a new, healthy ageing paper, by Dr Mike Short, Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department for International Trade.

Lucy Chappell said:

As Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, I am very much looking forward to attending Healthy Ageing 2021.

It is an opportunity for researchers, business enterprises and policy makers to come together in supporting this important research area across the UK.

Reducing inequalities

The conference will include sessions on:

  • design
  • social care
  • place-building
  • gerontology.

It will encourage policy makers to tackle the inequalities impacting ageing populations across many different areas including:

  • health
  • housing
  • access to products and services.

Three drivers of change

The conference will focus on three key drivers of change:

Inspiration

The conference will:

  • set out future thinking from leading voices including:
    • Helena Herklots
    • Professor David Halpern
    • Professor Andrew Scott
    • Dr Jane Barrett
  • showcase new ideas based on the lived experience of older people
  • allow participants to make new commercial, research and policy connections across the healthy ageing market.

Innovation

The event will:

  • offer the latest insights from cutting-edge research
  • present new high-tech, adaptable solutions that support an ageing population
  • share innovative ways to engage hard-to-reach audiences.

Impact

Delegates will see how businesses, researchers and social enterprises are tackling key challenges around healthy ageing and whether they emerge in the workplace or the high street.

They will compare how smart ideas, such as AI and machine learning, and innovations from the arts, humanities, and social sciences, help create a more age-friendly, profitable economy for all.

Top image:  Credit: alvarez, Getty Images

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