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Future Lives

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Future Lives is a UK-wide u3a group which shares information and resources to inspire, influence and inform members about how we can improve our future lives.   
 
How can we add life to our years, and maintain our independence and quality of life for as long as possible?

The u3a Future Lives Group is run by u3a members across the country. We aim to challenge attitudes and break down physical barriers that limit and restrict people as they get older.  

What can we do to improve unsuitable homes or products, isolation and poor health? Good design can be liberating – and the reverse is true! Let’s use our collective voice to bring about change. 

Credit: Centre for Ageing Better

We want to hear what u3a members have to say, sharing information and stimulating ideas that will help us all live our best possible future lives. 

  • We’re holding a series of free online events that we’d love you to join. 
  • Please also complete the "Our homes for our future" questionnaire. You can find more information on this page.
  • To stay up to date with Future Lives’ activities, please sign up to our newsletter.

Online Events

Housing options in later life: The role of retirement housing

Tuesday 6 February, 2-3pm

Kathleen Dunmore, Housing Advisor to Retirement Housing Group

What factors should you take in to account when considering a move into retirement housing? What types of retirement housing are available and how much do they cost?

Join us to find out this and more. Kathleen is an economist with over 40 years of experience in housing and construction.

Register here

If you have any suggestions for speakers or topics please get in touch with us by email. In the meantime, you can catch up on any talks you missed below or, better still, watch them again.

Register here

Previous Events

Artifical Intelligence and You in 2024

Barry Claydon, u3a AI Subject Advisor (Jan 2024)

AI and you in 2024.pdf ()

Protecting ourselves from fraud

Neil Freebury, Head of Intelligence, The Insolvency Service (Nov 2023)

Recording available soon

Being brain healthy: how our thinking skills change as we age and what we can do about it

Prof Alan Gow, Heriot-Watt University (Oct 2023)

Recording available soon

Working for a Wales where older people are valued, rights are upheld and no-one is left behind

Heléna Herklots CBE, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales (Sept 2023)

Recording available soon

Our future and technology: What might happen in the next 25 years?

Jean Jackson, Regional Trustee for West Midlands (May 2023)

Future Lives Technology Transcript ()

Future-proofing our Homes for our Future Lives

Jeremy Porteus, CEO of Housing Learning Improvement Network (April 2023)

Jeremy Porteus Presentation Slides ()

The Future of Ageing

David Sinclair, International Longevity Centre - how the ageing of the world's population will have a major social and economic impact (March 2023)

View Recording

Open Space Event

Future Lives Group - Interactive discussion where members shared ideas about important issues and shaped what is next for Future Lives (Feb 2023)

This event was not recorded

Our Homes for Our Future

Janet Sutherland, Chair of Future Lives - key findings from our housing questionnaire and experiences of members who have made changes to their homes or moved home (Jan 2023)

View Recording

Learning is the Elixir of a Healthy Life

Sir Muir Gray CBE - what we know about living longer and the interaction between ageing, loss of fitness, disease and ageism (Dec 2022)

View Recording

Designing a World for Everyone

Professor Jeremy Myerson, Royal College of Art - how design can improve our lives (Nov 2022)

View Recording

The Secrets of Ageing Better

Professor Janet Lord, University of Birmingham - what happens when we age, and ways in which we can all "age better" and stay healthier for longer (Oct 2022)

View Recording

Our Homes for Our Future Questionnaire

Will your home support your independence in the years ahead?
Perhaps you will need to adapt it in some way?
Have you thought of moving? If so, what do you want?

The sooner we plan for our future housing needs, the better the outcome – the right home can add 5 years of independent living.

We encourage you to grab a cuppa and set aside 10 minutes to complete this online questionnaire:

 

Take our questionnaire

 

By completing the questionnaire, we hope this will encourage you to think about your present home and carry out any changes you think you may need, or consider what you may want if you may need to move. If enough of us fill it in, we may be able to use our collective voice to influence and widen the choices available to us.

Resources

Get in touch

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the Future Lives group, please email us.

To stay up-to-date with everything we're doing you can sign up for our newsletter.