Scottish Science Advisory Council: Reaction to the UK Government Office for Science Foresight report “Future of an Ageing Population”

Description

The ageing population of Scotland presents both opportunities and challenges for our society. The Foresight report “Future of an Ageing Population” provides an in-depth discussion of the effects the ageing population will have on the UK, bringing together evidence to aid policymakers to adapt to the demographic change. We also note the recent work of the British-Irish Council demography work sector, led by the Scottish Government (SG), which has looked at the policy
implications of both ‘population ageing’ and of an ‘ageing society’. The work sector has explored the demographic drivers shared across the parts of the British Isles and identified the structural conditions that underpin reform and innovation across the policy arena. For this summary, we have brought together a group of experts to analyse the implications of the ageing population in Scotland to highlight issues of particular importance to SG policy. We examine Scotland’s demography and highlight that our population is ageing faster than the population in the rest of the UK. Policies affecting economics, healthcare, the built environment, and transport will all be particularly critical to ensuring that we maintain an active, healthy, and socially engaged ageing population. It will be important to shape policies and attitudes to recognise and maximise
the contributions of older people to society, and to promote cohesiveness of society across generations.

Period	23 Apr 2018
Work for	Scottish Science Advisory Council
Degree of Recognition	National