A collection of people writing in a book.

Blog

In addition to the regular School of Law and Social Justice blog, academics from the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course will sometimes discuss in more detail a topic that relates to an area of their research expertise. Links and references are provided for further reading.

A girl with surgery preparation lines drawn on her face.

Hags and short-lived queens

Can we overcome generational antagonisms between women?
What is the meaning of old age? An ageing couple sat on a bench overlooking mountains.

What is the meaning of old age?

As a small child spending my holidays in the company of an 80-year-old grandmother, this was my version of the question: 'What is the meaning of life?'

Two people sat in front of the water with one fading away.

Existential crisis

How long COVID patients helped us understand what it’s like to lose your sense of identity and purpose in life.
Clinical, Sociological and Cultural Dimensions of Frailty: A Dialogue A group photo of Centre for Ageing and the Life Course members.

Clinical, sociological and cultural dimensions of frailty: A dialogue

This three-day symposium, hosted by the Brocher Foundation, Switzerland, brought together scholars in ageing from a number of disciplinary perspectives to discuss the contested concept of frailty.

Simone de Beauvoir - Old Age - Book Cover.

The ageing of Simone de Beauvoir

For most of her life, Simone de Beauvoir feared and loathed the idea of ageing so much that she could see no good in it at all.

Flakey paint on a wall portraying ageing.

Fear of ageing is really a fear of the unknown - and modern society is making things worse

For the first time in human history, we have entered an era in which reaching old age is taken for granted.

A cup of tea and tea pot next to books.

The importance of individual stories in understanding health and social care: A personal viewpoint

The 'story' is an important instrument in qualitative research about long term conditions.

An older woman looking to the side.

Changing expressions of filial piety and forms of intergenerational solidarity in neoliberal India

There are mixed views about care homes for older people (commonly referred to as 'old age homes') in India.

An indian family taking care of one another.

Daughters as later-life caregivers: A cultural shift in later-life care in India

Later-life care in India is mostly the responsibility of adult sons and their spouses...
A person stood alone on a beach at sunset.

Burden of loneliness is not older people’s alone

The devastating impact of loneliness in later life became evident to me when, some years ago, I met an octogenarian and his daughter in Kolkata.
A long road with no traffic

Liam Payne: the death of a favourite celebrity can be painful – but collective grief can help

One of my earliest memories is from 1980, when John Lennon was tragically assassinated...
A man sat in the forest staring into the distance.

Cottontail review: how a man's journey through grief mirrors our search for peace

Cottontail tells the touching and relatable story of Kenzaburo (Ken), a man in his late middle age grieving the loss of his wife after a long illness.

Girl holding a mirror in front of her face

Why thinking about ageing is so complex when you’re a woman in your 20s today

Women have known for decades that ageing naturally is unacceptable. Older women are rarely seen on screen compared to younger women, or are praised for their age-defying looks.