Life expectancy for women has suffered a drop on a scale not seen for decades, as their lifestyles become more like those of men, official figures show. In 2012 there were falls in average life expectancy for females over 60.  Experts said the trend could be the result of changes in the lifestyles of the ‘baby boomer’ generation, with older women more likely to drink regularly and to have smoked, than previous generations. Charities also raised concern that older people are having their lives cut short by reductions in social care spending. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said, ‘The most obvious likely culprit is the rapid decline of state-funded social care in recent years, which is leaving hundreds of thousands of older people to struggle on alone at home without any help.’ She called on the next Government to take urgent action to support the elderly and prevent the downturn becoming the start of a ‘terrible trend.’