The overall aim of the Ageing Studies theme is to address two fundamental questions - how to ensure that people age healthily and are free of disability and, for those who become ill and disabled, how we can ensure interventions and care, transport and housing are provided effectively and efficiently and in line with their needs. These questions raise issues from the cellular level, through individual human ageing, to social policy. These questions also raise a number of very interesting ethical and legal issues about ageing populations and how best to ensure that care at the end of life respects the rights of older people, as well as ensuring a fair distribution of resources between generations and across the life span.