People in their 60s are living longer today than in previous generations. We asked experts how they can best prepare

The percentage of people 65 or older has rapidly increased over the last 100 years. This group grew about five times faster than the total population between 1920 and 2020.

Baby boomers, who started turning 65 in 2011, are primarily behind this growth spurt. The sixtysomethings of today are also living longer than previous generations.

People over 60 are increasingly opting to throw out the relationships roadmap and live separately from their partners. Can you have your own space and your relationship too?

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Most evenings Andrea* will settle down to watch TV. Leigh, an hour’s drive away, will do the same. Throughout the show, they’ll text, “Hey, what do you think about that? Wasn’t that funny?” Discussing the same TV program from different lounge rooms in different suburbs is a regular activity for the couple. “It’s a way of staying in touch,” Leigh says.

Andrea – or Andy, 66, and Leigh, 68, met online in 2010 and have been in a committed relationship for 14 years. They typically spend Monday to Thursday apart and Friday to Sunday together.

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