Paul Farmer, CEO of Age UK, has highlighted society’s ongoing denial of the realities of ageing, emphasizing the need to rethink attitudes toward later life. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Farmer called attention to the increasing number of people living two to three decades beyond retirement and the challenges that come with it, particularly loneliness and isolation among older adults.

“Almost a million older people say they are often lonely, which is a terrible indictment of how many feel and how our society thinks about loneliness and isolation,” Farmer said. He noted that while living longer represents progress, society has not sufficiently addressed how people want to spend these additional years. Traditionally, many older individuals in the UK moved to seaside communities after retirement, but Farmer observed that this pattern is shifting. “Increasingly we are aware, hearing people saying, ‘I’m not sure I want to do that because I don’t know anybody there,’” he explained.

Drawing from his background with the charity Mind, where he led the Time to Change campaign aimed at reducing mental health stigma, Farmer compared the experience of isolation among older people to the depression and anxiety often discussed by younger generations. He called for a transformation in societal perceptions of ageing, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the ongoing contributions older people make.

Farmer shared a personal anecdote about his father, an academic historian who lived to 98 and remained an inspiration for embracing later life despite decades of widowhood. He recalled a moment on a railway platform when his father, then in his mid-80s and physically unsteady, was overlooked as crowds hurried past. “The train was called and everybody just poured around him. That’s a very strong image,” Farmer said. “How do we make sure, in all our hurry and rush to get on with our lives, that we don’t just ignore people?”

He argued against the notion that advancing age should relegate individuals to the sidelines, stating, “We should drop the idea that when you reach a certain age, you should just sort of sit in a corner and be quiet.” Instead, he urged maintaining the recognition of older people’s value within society.

Farmer, 59, is seeking to challenge ageism and stigma with the same determination that marked his mental health advocacy. During the interview, he also mentioned some of his desert island picks, including songs like “Sunshine on Leith” by The Proclaimers and “Think” by Aretha Franklin, alongside the collected works of poet Simon Armitage and a bowling machine as his luxury item.