By 2020, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 65 and over will outnumber children aged five and under. Travelling across the world and interviewing leading scientists about breakthroughs which could soon transform the quality and extent of life, Cavendish contests many of the taboos around ageing, and sparks a debate about how governments, businesses, doctors, the media and each one of us should handle the final few decades of life. In this manifesto for change, she argues that if we take a more positive approach, we should be able to reap the benefits of a prolonged life, and help the elderly to play a fuller part in society. But that will mean a revolution: in work, in education, in housing, in medicine – and in our attitudes. Cavendish is an award-winning Times journalist and was head of the Downing Street policy unit under David Cameron. Bakewell was appointed as a Voice for Older People by Gordon Brown.
