Guernsey charity, Bright Futures LBG is marking its first anniversary with an event looking at the importance of including older people in the development of the island’s human capital.
Professor Andrew Scott will be visiting the island on 28 June 2019 to share his well-researched insights on longevity. The event: “Longevity; the greatest gift or a multigenerational curse” is designed to put the issue on the agenda as an item for policy makers, businesses and individuals.
Andrew Scott is Professor of Economics at London Business School, having previously held positions at Harvard, London School of Economics and Oxford. He has published widely in leading international academic journals and his book, The Hundred Year Life, is an international bestseller which has been published in 14 languages and been the recipient of several awards.
Andrew has advised a range of governments including serving as Non-Executive Director for the UK’s Financial Services Authority. He is currently on the advisory board of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility; a member of the Cabinet Office Honours Committee (Science and Technology); and co-founder of The Longevity Forum.
“To make longevity a real asset for society, it is necessary to change current socio-economic perceptions and approaches to care, as well as existing organisational and governance structures, in order to achieve a more active and inclusive understanding and experience of the ageing process,” said Professor Scott.
Susie Crowder, Director of Bright Futures LBG, commented: “We need to start to identify the potential for and ongoing practices with regard to social innovation and active ageing. This includes identifying the key factors which drive innovation in social support and longevity, innovation that then, in turn, can aid the transformation of this evolution into an engine for sustainable socio- economic progress. The identification of these key factors will build comprehensive future scenarios describing how an integrated, age friendly approach can be realistically attained for the benefit of everyone.
“To achieve this and to realise the economic potential of this human capital, we need to change our perception of age and see beyond an individual’s date of birth or physical appearance when recruiting team members. We appear to have an ageist society and our employment legislation, prima facie, supports this. As a society, we have been gradually living longer and healthier for decades, yet we have not adapting our legislation, saving habits or lifestyle to support this gift.”
