Exploring the Future of Ageing: insights from the Bristol Futures Jam
Exploring the Future of Ageing: insights from the Bristol Futures Jam
Change is happening at a rate that we have never seen before and the traditional model of learn, work, retire are under threat, if not obsolete already. Much work has been done to understand the systemic challenges we face as we age but has anyone really thought about what do I want as I age with this changing context as the backdrop? What are my hopes, aspirations and needs for this later phase in my life?
To answer this and in collaboration with partners at BJSS, Sparck, Business West, and CVS South Gloucestershire, we hosted a ‘futures jam’ at the Watershed in Bristol. This unique event brought together a cross sector of society from those with lived experience to those thinking about their own upcoming journey as they age, with the aim of setting a new vision for what later life might look like in 2040. The aspiration being that by knowing our future, we can start the work to make it happen today.
The jam encouraged participants to take a creative, forward-thinking approach with each team exploring three signals of change - ‘how and where we want to live’, ‘community’ and ‘contribution’. These signals were then analysed through a series of exercises to build a compelling vision for the future. These were then transformed into news reports from 2040 to bring ideas to life.
Key Takeaways of the Jam/Aspirations for the Future:
- Flexible, Community-Centric Living: Communities should be designed for all ages, fostering interdependence, sustainability, and easy access to services.
- Purpose & Active Contribution: Older adults want to remain active contributors through work, volunteering, mentoring, and skill-sharing.
- Well-being & Supportive Technology: Ageing should be about maintaining well-being, not just treating illness, with holistic health models focused on prevention, social connection, and mental resilience. Technology to empower, not to replace personal connections.
What’s Next?
This was an initial test of a ‘futures’ exercise, enabling us to understand how this type of engagement will drive real value to the work we do at St Monica Trust, informing our work and supporting the lives of older people. The overall feedback from the participants was exceptionally positive and we will now explore how to further the work and involve more of the St Monica Trust community in the next steps.