Government proposals published today (25 February) would require Lifetime Homes for all new homes by 2013 to “future proof” them and meet the needs and aspirations of Britain’s ageing population.
But professionals from HBF’s Retirement Housing Group (RHG) say that this exclusive focus on a “bricks and mortar” solution is misconceived.
The provision of support and companionship is a critical element in the quality of life of many older people. On 15 February Age Concern reported that 45% of men and 34% of women over 80 and 62% of recently bereaved older people were lonely. The Economic and Social Research Council found that “reduced social contact, being alone, isolation and feelings of loneliness are consistently associated with reduced quality in older people’s lives”.
Delivering this to older people who want to “stay put” in their own homes will need a range of solutions. It is not encouraging that on 29 January the CSCI3 found that the number of older people in receipt of home care, meals and day care services fell significantly between 2003 and 2006 and that councils were “rationing” services by raising eligibility thresholds.
In new housing the benefits of offering a wide range of specialist, supported housing to older people is far greater than concentrating on a “one size fits all” construction “solution”, because it offers those who find their existing home too isolated and expensive to maintain an attractive alternative whilst freeing up family-sized homes for families.
Peter Askew, Chairman of the Retirement Housing Group, whose members are drawn from the spectrum of those providing and advising on housing for older people, is calling on the Government to do much more to positively encourage the development of a wide range of housing solutions to meet the diverse needs of the growing number of older people.
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