Developed by the University and Age UK, a new ‘index’ has found that taking part in social activities has the most direct influence on improving a person’s wellbeing in later life.
Activities such as visiting a cinema, museum or historical site, taking part in arts events, being a member of a social or sports club, or engaging in a community or voluntary group are all beneficial.
The new Index of Wellbeing in Later Life examines different aspects of people’s lives in five key areas – social, personal, health, financial and environmental – analysing data from 15,000 people aged 60 and over, to measure the wellbeing of the UK’s older population.
Professor of International Social Policy at the University, Asghar Zaidi, who developed the methodology behind the Index, said:
We live in an extraordinary time with increasing numbers of us in the UK living longer than ever imagined before. On the one hand, many can celebrate living financially secure, active, engaged and healthy lives for longer, but we also know living longer exposes many other older people to huge vulnerabilities.
The cost of looking after a rising number of older people raises serious concerns about the sustainability of current provisions of care, especially when there are competing claims on limited resources in the country. Age UK’s Index of Wellbeing in Later Life provides authoritative new guidance on what matters most for a good life in old age and provides information on areas crucial to policymaking relating to the wellbeing and quality of life of older people in our communities.
Overall, the index shows there is no ‘magic bullet’, but rather a whole host of factors under each of the key areas which play an important part in contributing to a person’s sense of wellbeing.
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