On 5^th and 6^th July 2018 we ran a very successful two-day symposium on ‘Living a Good Life in Older Age’, drawing together literary, philosophical and scientific/medical perspectives on ageing. The event aimed to get beyond the understanding of ‘successful’ ageing as simply physical health and activity, drawing in philosophical, literary and medical perspectives on issues such as autonomy, loneliness, stigma, narratives of decline, social justice, and the right to be needed.

It put medical professionals in conversation with philosophers of ageing, literary scholars, the founder of cultural age studies Dr Margaret Morganroth Gullette (Brandeis University, USA), and Kellie Payne, the Head of Research and Policy at the Campaign to End Loneliness. The event drew an international audience of more than 60 people, including scholars, theatre practitioners, medical practitioners, psychologists, librarians, chaplains, social workers, and an 101 year-old expert by experience!

The WQBP PE seed fund award was used to create podcasts of the talks which are now fully accessible on YouTube. To date over 1000 people have accessed these podcasts.