Community Matters – are our communities ready for ageing?

Seminar 2: ‘At home’

Thursday 27th March

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Malcolm Dean

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Joe Oldman

Housing Policy AdviserAge UK

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Jessica Watson

Policy and Communications ManagerILC-UK

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Professor Sheila Peace

Professor of Social GerontologyOpen University

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Community Matters : are our communities ready for ageing: At home’

Comment from Sheila Peace Professor of Social Gerontology, The Open University

ILC-UK/AgeUK Community Matters Series, Thursday March 27th

Key evidence points• The older population spans 40-50 years of living with

different needs over time – third and fourth ages debate• Lifestyle changes – increase in older coupledom;

women living alone• Home ownership currently central to discussion of

financial assets in later life and within families• Maintaining the home a central concern, triggers to

change• Recognise home and gender invisible in adult housing,

health, social care policy

Gaps in research and policy• Home-sharing – intergenerational; non-familial; Home-

caring – a growing industry; understanding relationships

• Supported Care & Repair – impact of knowing the builders, the gardeners, decorators.

• The good things about renting in all housing types

• Age-segregation/age-integration – the balance between communal and individualised living

• ‘Staying put’ through technological development - beyond the microwave and telecare?

Things to do to fix some of these issues• Re-think access to Disabled

Facilities Grants if adaptations cost more than £1000

• Encourage Estate Agents through training to know about alternative housing across the life course

• Lobby for better terms of employment for home carers e.g. Travel payment

• Intergenerational interaction based on trust - ways to encourage more older people into schools - could lead to gardening, decoration assistance, home-sharing

• Support RIBA/Design Council in discussing more inclusive design and recognition of change with age. Start up costs for more innovative housing.

Sue Adams

Chief ExecutiveCare and Repair

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Are communities ready to enable active ageing at home?

Sue Adams, CEO, Care & Repair England

Who?Care & Repair England; national housing charity aims to

address poor and unsuitable housing conditions amongst older population, particularly low income home owners (since 1986)

Pioneers local initiatives; local Care & Repair services, Minor works grants, Handyperson, Housing Options, Healthy Homes, Older People’s “Housing Activism”

Policy shaping: Older people’s housing

Ageing well at home

Older people’s homes and neighbourhoods are a major determinant of their mental and physical health & well-being

Hence critical to enabling aspiration to age well at home

Heath, housing and care: ‘The triangle of independence’

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Enabling housing

& environment

Goodhealth

Socialnetworksand care

Independentolder person

Services in one area fail the person if other parts missing

Evidence on key reasons for loss of independence are inter-action between health, social, housing

Multi-disciplinary approach more successful. Housing often missing link

Where do older people actually live?

→ 7m older households (500,000 specialist units)

→ 30% of all homes lived in by older people

→ 90% live in mainstream housing stock (6% sheltered/ retirement, 4% residential/ nursing/ other)

→ 75% owner occupation (specialist housing = 80% social rented/20% private)

Where do most want to live?Aspiration to live independently in a home of their

own choosing for as long as possible

Want choice and a variety of housing options for all stages of later life older people are all individuals at many life stages, not a homogeneous group, span half a century 50-100+yrsNeed flexibility in homes to accommodate as much of the

variation/ fluctuation of later life experience as possible

Research: What makes a good place to live?

Good design of the home : Adaptability, flexibility, space standards

Location: Neighbourhood accessibility/ features , transport, shops, services, social opportunities, proximity to family & friends, safety, security, outdoor space

Research: What makes a good place to live?

Access to services: to practical support for daily living at home

Wider social factors: history, identity, status

Conjecture: Older people tomorrow

Building for the future What will tomorrow’s aspirations be?Higher? Expect more choice? Technological?Learn from past mistakes in design of sheltered housing

bedsits and small one bed flatsEven more reason to build in greater flexibility

Current counter pressures: Building even smaller, un-adaptable living spaces / welfare reform & ‘under-occupation’, planning and Building Regs reform

DataProjected household growth

→ Between 2008 and 2033 around 60% of projected household growth will be made up of households with someone aged 65 or older

Projected population growth → number of 85+ doubles & 69% of this age group have disability/ long term health condition/ dementia

Is our housing ready for ageing? 28% of older

people live in non-decent homes

1million vulnerable older people (75+) in non-decent housing, mostly in the owner occupied sector

- Major inequalities

Is our housing ready for ageing?1.4 million individuals have a medical

condition or disability that means that they need specially adapted accommodation: 22% consider their current home unsuitable (SEH)

Based on current population projections, by 2036 around 810,000 people 75yrs + would be living in unsuitable homes (70%+ in owner-occupied properties) C&RE, Time to Adapt

Cold HomesThe Marmot Review team special report on cold

homes and health concluded that there is a strong relationship between cold temperatures and cardio-vascular and respiratory diseases.

It noted that cold housing; increases the level of minor illnesses such as

colds / flu exacerbates existing conditions such as arthritis

and rheumatism negatively affected mental health is related to excess winter deaths

Practical Solutions

Current housing increased help

with home adaptations

‘handyperson’ services to do small tasks

expand home improvement agencies

Main SolutionsFuture homes -Build all new homes

to Lifetime Homes Standards*

Design Lifetime Neighbourhoods

*Applied in London to all new homes but not a national requirement

www.lifetimehomes.org.uk

SolutionsStimulate better, more

varied specialist provision – positive choice

Need independent, impartial information & advice about housing and care options /finance

Empower OP as informed consumers – FirstStop www.firststopcareadvice.org.uk

Better Homes = Healthier PeopleExamples:

Philanthropic Garden Villages/ Garden Cities

Results:Healthy,

sociable places to live = better health

Active Ageing at Home to underpin policies

Need ethos, vision and shared values across government

Enable older people to live well at homeCreate places which

enable older people to remain active and socially engaged

enhance independence, health and quality of life

Need acknowledgement that ‘home’ is more than bricks and mortar

Looking forward together

Support a positive, active ageing vision and ethos to underpin planning

Share information & evidence to build the economic case

It is all our futures…..

Contact and Links

sueadams@careandrepair-england.org.uk

Housing & Ageing Alliance: www.housinglin.org.uk/AboutHousingLIN/HAA/

Paul Gamble

CEOHabinteg Housing Association

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Why accessible housing counts

Paul Gamble, CEO Habinteg

For ILC conference: ‘Community Matters: are our communities ready for ageing: At home’.

What’s special about housing?

1200 year replacement cycle (based on construction rates in 2007)

2012 - @100K housing built

Best estimates 230k a year needed

UK demographic trend that UK set to have largest population in Europe by 2050 c.70m+

Affordability crisis

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Where will they all live?2001 census showed that specialist housing accounted for less than 3% overall

Updated estimates don’t exceed 6%

Most older people

will remain in mainstream housing

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Housing sector responses to ageing

Segmentation

extra care

retirement villages

co-housing

HAPPI

Inclusive design

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Inclusive design

Carrot and stick

Helen Hamlyn Foundation

Livability/Lifemark – AU and NZ

Lifetime Homes

Standards

Regulation

But clear evidence that regulation uderpins change

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The benefits of accessible living #1Reduced risk of falls and injury –

Reduce NHS bill by building to LTH or similar rather than Part M.

(Hip fractures alone cost £726m in 2000.)

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The benefits of accessible living #2adaptability–

• more quickly• more safely

• Saving NHS £260 per day.

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The benefits of accessible living #3

Click icon to add picture Postpone or avoid moving to residential care -

Cost saving of £700-800 per week – to family or social care budget

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‘Cost’of standards vs long term value

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Finally: much potential in the review, but…• Building standards should benefit consumer,

householder, community, society - will they?

• We need the right standards, consistently applied with robust enforcement to make the difference

• Ongoing monitoring, research and development is essential if we’re to keep pace with changing needs – especially at higher end of access.

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pgamble@habinteg.org.uk

www.habinteg.org.uk/responses

Q&A and Open Discussion

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Break

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Open Discussion

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