The Oldest Generation project is one of the Timescapes qualitative longitudinal studies. This study qualitatively explored the lives of older people and their family relationships over time in a sample of families with at least one member over the age of 75 (the 'senior'). Qualitative research was conducted with 12 families from across the United Kingdom, who were followed through two waves of fieldwork over 18 months. The 12 families were selected from approximately 40 volunteer families of Open University employees, using demographic criteria to ensure the sample was as diverse as possible.