1. Ageing without Children
Kirsty Woodard
Founder

2. About AWOC Founded in 2014 4 key aims
Carry out more research to better understand the issue
Set up network of local AWOC groups
Work with other organisations to develop solutions and services
Raise awareness & campaign for the inclusion of people Ageing without Children in discussions on ageing

3. So far we have
Had a conference on Ageing without Children hosted by Positive Ageing in London (Jan 15)
Carried out a survey of 400 people Ageing without Children and published the results
Set up a pilot AWOC group in Leeds
Put together a website, facebook group and twitter feed with over 800 followers
Appeared on Woman’s Hour, BBC Breakfast and been featured in The Guardian, the Times and the Sunday Express
All with no funding – AWOC receives no funding other than donations

4. Definitions Childfree – made a positive choice not to have children
Childless – wanted children but was unable to have them
Other people who regard themselves as ageing without children include people
who had children who subsequently died
are estranged from their children
have children who live a long distance away
Attitude to entering later life without children varies depending on whether was own choice
Irrespective, practical issues remain the same

5. Our Voices 4 focus groups 2 one to one indepth interviews
6 individuals writing their own stories
Contributions from facebook group
Survey responses

6. 6 themes Invisible Being judged “who will tell my story?”
Being a carer is the trigger
Practical help
Disconnect from other generations

7. Invisibility
“At the club I go to it’s always children this and grandchildren that, the staff don’t seem to understand we don’t all have children and grandchildren”
“a wholesale repairing of the social contract so that children see their parents giving wonderful care to grandparents – and recognise that in time that will be their responsibility too” Jeremy Hunt June 2015

8. Being judged
“I went into the Building Society to change something on my account and the cashier was chatting with me as you do and she asked me if I had any children. When I said no, she said ‘oh you selfish cow”

9. Who will tell my story?
“If I get dementia who is going to tell the carers I don’t like sprouts and hate Eastenders? No one is going to know are they? And I won’t be able to tell them”

10. Being a carer is a trigger
“Who will do all the things I currently do for my ageing parents, from helping them overcome the terror of dementia, to buying their clothes to standing up for them when they are being ignored in hospital. And who will hold my hand and tell me they love me when I'm dying?”

11. Practical help
“one of the things that gets my goat is how "caring for the elderly" is always talked about in terms of daily personal/semi-nursing care. But what most children do for their elderly parents is help them with financial matters, take them to the supermarket, take them on outings, deal with "officialdom" for them, take them to hospital and doctor appointments, etc. That part of helping the elderly never seems to get talked about”

12. Disconnect from younger people
“I used to go to the pub with work and there were lots of different ages, now I’m retired I don’t seem to see anyone young anymore. I miss that”

13. What AWOC would like
Government planning on ageing needs to take into account the increasing numbers of people getting old without family support.
Local authorities need to identify how many people in their area are likely to age without children and incorporate this into their strategies on ageing.
GPs, hospitals and social care services should identify people without family at an early stage to ensure they are not left without help.
Investment in advocacy services that can speak up for people without children
Investment in intergenerational programmes so that people ageing without children are not cut off from other generations.
Everyone should be given advice to help them make plans for their later life that take into account what will happen if they do need care or lose capacity to make their own decisions.
A national strategy for people ageing without children that brings together individual people ageing without children along with national and local Government, the NHS, housing providers and key bodies from civil society

14. Contact AWOC Email ageingwithoutchildren@gmail.com www.awoc.org
@awocuk