119 Ageing without Children, with Kirsty Woodard

Family is something that most of us take for granted, especially as we get older and we start to rely on our children for help and support. But for some, they don’t have that luxury. There are currently 1 million people over 65 who don’t have children, and that figure is expected to double by 2030. But what does this mean? It means that over 1 million people will face struggles in everyday life that most of us won’t even bat an eye lid at. Who is there to help clean the house after an operation, or to phone the bank to sort out an issue or even to do the food shopping during a pandemic? This week’s podcast guest, Kirsty Woodard, has spent the last 30 years working on issues around ageing. But in the past 7 years, she has turned her attention to helping those 1 million over 65s who don’t have children they can turn to for help. In our conversation Kirsty shares with us the difficulties faced by those who can’t turn to their own children for help as they age, but more importantly, Kirsty tells us what needs to change so that those ageing without children can access the support they need.