By Human After All

A pioneering, cross-disciplinary document crafted in collaboration between Human After All design agency, IDEO, and SY Partners. Thought-provoking pieces brimming with data and numerous takeaway questions on a variety of ageing-related topics, including senior startups, sexuality for older individuals, robotics, and caregiving.

This article delves into the captivating realm of venture capital giants embarking on the billion-dollar quest for longevity breakthroughs. Authored by Josipa Majic Predin, a notable founder, venture partner, and lecturer in the VC domain, the piece illuminates the global phenomenon surrounding the pursuit of longevity. By exploring the investments of VC funds across diverse disciplines like biotechnology, AI, and genomics, readers gain insights into how these funds are shaping the future of healthcare. Predin articulately navigates the complex landscape of challenges, from financial constraints to regulatory hurdles and ethical considerations, providing a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted journey toward creating, replicating, commercialising, and scaling longevity innovations.

This article provides a comprehensive examination of the economic implications and opportunities associated with an ageing population, offering invaluable insights for policymakers, healthcare professionals, economists and individuals interested in the intersection of health, ageing and economics. Through rigorous research and analysis, it illuminates the multifaceted dynamics of the longevity economy, highlighting its potential to drive innovation, reshape consumer markets, and inform strategic decision-making in healthcare and beyond. 

About the author - Professor Andrew J. Scott, a leading authority in economics and longevity, is renowned for his groundbreaking research on the intersection of ageing, demographics, and economic policy. He is a co-author of the book The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity (with Lynda Gratton). His new book The Longevity Imperative: How to Build a Healthier and More Productive Society to Support Our Longer Lives is out now.

Japan has been developing robots to care for older people for over two decades, with public and private investment accelerating markedly in the 2010s. By 2018, the national government alone had spent well in excess of $300 million funding research and development for such devices. At first glance, the reason for racing to roboticise care may seem obvious with Japan's ageing population. The number of older people requiring care is increasing rapidly, as is the cost of caring for them. At the same time, the already large shortage of care workers is expected to get much worse over the next decade. There’s little doubt that many people in Japan see robots as a way to fill in for these missing workers without paying higher wages or confronting difficult questions about importing cheap immigrant labor, which successive conservative Japanese governments have tried to curtail." A fascinating read by Dr. James Wright author of the book Robots Won't Save Japan: An Ethnography of Eldercare Automation. 

The Milken Institute's report, Age-Forward Cities for 2030, is an essential guide for policymakers, urban planners, and communities globally, offering innovative strategies to address the challenges of ageing populations. Through rigorous research, it provides practical recommendations for fostering inclusive, age-friendly environments that promote health, well-being, and economic vitality. Whether you're a government official, healthcare professional, or engaged citizen, this work is crucial for building resilient cities in the face of demographic change.
About the authors - Caroline Servat brings expertise in public policy and urban development, emphasising inclusive communities. Nora Super is a leader in ageing policy, fostering age-friendly environments. Paul Irving, Chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, drives innovative solutions for fulfilling lives across the lifespan.

Ageism affects how we think, feel and act towards others and ourselves based on age. It imposes powerful barriers to the development of good policies and programs for older and younger people, and has profound negative consequences on older adults’ health and well-being. We encourage you to join the UN's Global Campaign to Combat Ageism and help create #AWorld4AllAges.

4-Quarter Lives podcast by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

Generational and gender expert Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks to her 'Chief Inspiration Officer' Chip Conley about his midlife mission, and his book Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage.