MORE than half (54 per cent) of British people aged between 40 and 60 fear what old age could bring for them, a new survey for the Pilgrims’ Friend Society suggests.

Physical and mental decline are significant concerns: almost half (47 per cent) of 1566 40- to 60-year-olds polled worry about being a burden on their family or friends, and 43 per cent fear loneliness. Only two per cent had talked with a counsellor or mentor about ageing, and only 11 per cent had come to terms with the prospect. Little more than one third (38 per cent) said that it was a time to which they looked forward.

While nearly nine in ten (86 per cent) agreed that it was important to prepare for later life, only three-quarters (76 per cent) had done so. The three most important ways to be ready, they thought, were financial (92 per cent), physical (85 per cent), and emotional, mental, and spiritual (78 per cent).

The online research was conducted in January among 4645 adults by YouGov for the Pilgrims’ Friend Society. It is part of a campaign, Getting Real About Getting Older, which was launched on 3 July to encourage a better approach to old age. The charity, which runs ten residential care homes and seven retirement-housing schemes in Britain, is also offering a “midlife MoT” for participants, to ask themselves questions such as: “Who am I?” and “What changes would I like to make?”

The initiative includes a series of four short films in which older people offer their advice on matters ranging from facing physical limitations to moving home. In one of them, Eric Freeman, an 85-year-old resident of a Pilgrims’ Friend Society home in West Yorkshire, said: “Getting older happens to us all. When you notice that your body can’t do what it used to, or that you’re becoming more physically and mentally dependent on others, it can feel unsettling and even frightening, but it makes a big difference if you talk about these changes and prepare for them.

“People should be conscious of what’s happening to them, and then make the right choices early.”

The Society’s director of marketing and communications, Alexandra Davis, said: “As someone approaching midlife myself, I’m realising that there are big things to think through. The insights provided in our films have helped me appreciate that later life is something I can take practical steps to prepare for and embrace with positivity and hopefulness.”

pilgrimsfriend.org.uk/getreal