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A COVID-19 catch-22: Challenges and opportunities of social connection technologies
Having just crossed the threshold of a year since COVID-19 became a global pandemic, there has been ample time to observe the ways in which technology has been used as a means of fostering social c...
Three Innovations in Intergenerational Housing
A few years back, I wrote a blog about the promise of retirement villages as a potential solution to the housing needs of a rapidly ageing population in the UK. I'm still a big believ...
The Impact of Corona on Different Generations: Occupation Insecurity and Belief in Conspiracy Theories
The corona crisis has hit the UK and the world hard since January 2020, affecting all aspects of society. In addition to the obvious consequences for public health, it is now indisputable that the ...
Use of technology - does age matter?
The use of technology is growing in importance in everyday life. Information and communication services are quickly becoming digitalised. Technological progress is constant, forcing people to adapt...
Great-grandparents in Brazil?
It is a common misconception that Brazil is a young country with a long way to go before it has to tackle the challenges of population ageing. The data tell a different story. According to Institut...
Rationing by frailty
In January of this year the journal Age and Ageing published a commentary piece with the title Rationing by frailty during the COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the guidance published by NICE i...
Ageing population and inward FDI for post COVID-19 recovery in developed countries
It is a widely accepted view that without improvements in productivity population ageing is likely to have a negative impact on economic growth and returns to investment. The idea that we mig...
A marriage made in Research Heaven
“More research is needed”: the eternal verity closing many research projects. But is it always needed? Surely, after decades of research and reflection, we know enough about...
Will the roaring twenties leave a legacy?
Even as the world’s woes mount up in these bleakest of times, there is a narrative emerging in which various new types of technology will ride to the rescue. This narrative has a name –...
The case for a new field of ageing studies combining scholarship with activism
In October 2020 I had the honor to participate in an online Oxford debate alongside Ken Bluestone from Age International on the topic: ‘Age Discrimination: do we need a Human Rights Charter f...
The rhetoric of burden and boomer
There is something decidedly discriminatory when a certain group of a population is referred to as a burden, with the implicit understanding that the rest of the unburdensome population has to bear...
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Older Adults: Institutionalised Ageism or Pragmatic Policy?
This article first appeared in the December issue of the Journal of Population Ageing. The Covid pandemic has produced a plethora of editorials and commentaries by professional bodies ...
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Undercover in a nursing home: What constitutes good care?
During the Christmas Holidays, on the advice of one of my colleagues, I watched a fascinating documentary The Mole Agent. In this idiosyncratic mix of spy film and observational documentary, 83-yea...
Automation Taken to Court: A Case for Rising to the Challenge Over Delay
‘Judge, a robot stole my job’ – Spain’s courts heard this year. In one case, an accounting officer named Cecilia had been working for her company in Las Palmas in Gran Canar...
Consider animal therapy for institutionalised elders during the pandemic
One of the most stressful - and distressing - events that can occur in an older person’s life is moving into a long-term care facility. The new resident suffers the loss of a home, personal p...