What is the reality of growing old in England today?

摘要

Watching the BBC Breakfast programme the other week, my attention was caught by an interview with a woman who had volunteered to take part in a study that aimed to mimic the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older people in Britain today. The research organized by a charity called Friends of the Elderly included 10 volunteers between the ages of 22-50 years who agreed to spend a week living in isolation as a way to understand and gain insight into what it might be like for an older person. During the week, they were not allowed any human contact and were only allowed to watch programmes on TV and on the internet.