Safer Ageing Index - London

Gaps in data putting London’s growing older population at risk says abuse charity

Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity focused on ending the abuse of older people, has produced a landmark Safer Ageing Index for London – and the findings are concerning.

The index, underlining where Londoners can age safest, also reveals for the first time, that over 60s population will outnumber the under 16s in Greater London by 2030. With a population rising this rapidly and consisting of such a huge percentage of the population, Hourglass believes it’s clear that Safer Ageing must be on the agenda.

This is the third such Safer Ageing Index published by Hourglass, the first being the Northern Ireland Index published in 2022 and the Wales Index published earlier this week.

Safer Ageing Index London

The third part of our ground-breaking project, funded by the Hallmark Foundation highlights the urgent need to make Greater London a safer place to grow old and the need for better data around older people.

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Some of the other key findings from our research Greater London are:

• Over 65s are concentrated in outer rather than inner London boroughs.

• Highest predicted total population numbers of over 65s in 2023 are all outer London, Barnet,
   Bromley, and Croydon

• Looking at the projected levels of obesity and morbid obesity in Greater London among over
   65s in 2023, it is projected that 357,211 over 65s are either obese or morbidly obese – 30.3% of total over 65 London population.

• Looking at the projected levels of dementia sufferers among over 65s in Greater London, it
  is projected that 83,192 (7.05%) over 65s suffer from dementia in 2023.

When compared to the Northern Ireland crime data, the information available about older people and abuse in London is of far lower quality. The Metropolitan Police, whilst proactive in working with Hourglass are unable to provide data to the same standard as that of the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Coupled with the fact that ONS Crime Survey only started collecting data on older people in 2021, means we do not have the full picture of crime committed against older people in Greater London.

This is the first Safer Ageing Index for London and Hourglass intend to update it regularly. In the future as more data becomes available the charity hopes to build on its findings and paint a more accurate picture of how well Greater London is doing at supporting Safer Ageing.

The third part of our ground-breaking project, funded by the Hallmark Foundation highlights the urgent need to make Greater London a safer place to grow old and the need for better data around older people.