The Longevity Burden

The UK’s oldest woman, Grace Jones, was born in December 1899, making her 112 years old. She attributes her long life to a good diet, including never eating frozen food. She has lived through two world wars, six monarchs and 22 prime ministers. Her lifespan is phenomenal. But she isn’t alone. She is one of around 10,000 female centenarians in this country (according to the Office of National Statistics at its last estimate in 2010) and this figure is projected to reach 71,000 by 2035. If we put this growth into context, over forty years ago in 1961, there were only around 500 women who h...