Seniors Housing Forum - Crisis or Opportunity

Guiding your strategies to success

Beyond Retirement Villages

29 May 2012Kenny Annand, Principal Consultant, KGA Consulting Group

Seniors Housing Forum - Crisis or Opportunity



Why are Seniors becoming a concern?• Baby boom cohort now ageing

• By 2056, over 25% of Australians will be over 65 years of age• Metropolitan Perth

– 13.2% over age of 65 and over in 2006– +121.1% population growth to 2051– +236.7% growth in group over 65 to 25.4% of population– 375.0% increase in prevalence of dementia to 109,000 (23,000

in 2010)

• People are living longer• Prolonged periods with frailty and disability



Some Common Misunderstandings:

• Most older people live in some type of cared accommodation

• When we get older we are frail and incapacitated• We need specialised accommodation in which

we all need to live• Old people want to be separated from

the rest of their community



Some Common Misunderstandings:

• The majority of older Australians (in 2006 92%) live in private dwellings living as members of family, group or lone-person households

• Only 8% were usual residents in: • non-private dwellings, which include hotels, motels,

guest houses, and • cared accommodation such as hospitals, aged care

homes and supported accommodation offered by some retirement villages.

• The rest live in the mainstream community



Some Common Misunderstandings:• Not talking about a single homogenous group• Seniors are not different – they are just older• Being frail is not the same as being ill• Not all baby boomers are wealthy – most are “asset

rich, cash poor”• Major asset is the family home• 75% receive some form of pension

• Seniors are still active and capable of contributing to society



Seniors’ requirements of their city are little different

to every other age group



Seniors’ requirements of their city :

• Mainstream community inclusion• Strong desire to remain independent at home• Only 5 - 7% move to retirement villages• Require provision of services not facilities• “Age in Place” – remaining at home and in their

community• Only 4% require intensive nursing home care



Seniors’ requirements of their city :• Housing requirements in later stages of life are not

dissimilar to those required in early stages of the family life-cycle:

• smaller, • affordable, • easy to maintain

• In later years, adults have built a quality of life that they want to maintain in their downsized housing options

• Different stage of the cycle



Empty Nesters – usually active and fully independent

Spouse dies and in time dependency

grows

Single

Couple

Single

Family

Couple

Single

FAMILY LIFE CYCLE

HOUSING

Small House

Small House

Apartment or Small House

Large House

Apartment or Small House



Seniors’ requirements of their city :As well as housing issues:

• Mobility becomes more of an issue• Seniors rely more on public (community) transport• Recommended distances to services – 400m• Want reasonable access to:

• Shops• Medical facilities• Libraries• Social centres

• Keep in contact with friends and social activities



Importance of location and neighbourhood to foster Community ties



“Positive ageing seeks greater inclusion of older

people in mainstream community life rather than

deal with them as a separate group where needs are

different, and possibly even incompatible, with those of the broader community ”



Do we offer today what is needed for tomorrow?



Segregated Communities:



Birth of the Retirement Community:

• General thought is that fear increases with age• Seniors tend to live alone therefore there is a

higher awareness of their vulnerability• Less people living in a household the less

defensible the space becomes• Segregated (gated) communities developed a

certain appeal:• providing security and companionship• providing area seniors feel is “theirs”• removed from the mainstream community



Gated Communities:

Though they are called communities : • “there is no evidence to suggest that social capital [people's

sense of trust and inclination to do things for each other -- things that characterise successful communities] is any higher within them than other forms of residential development”.

• “they are spatially a type of enclave, they are more likely to have negative contributions to the overall social capital of the broader community”

• “the dilemma seems to be one between personal security in the face of social breakdown and an almost feral youth culture. gated communities exist only for those who can afford them”.



Typical segregated community•Gated community•Distant from amenities•Rows of conjoined houses•Poor urban plan•Care facility on site



Semi-integrated community•Open community•Still distant from amenities•Individualised, separate houses•Good urban plan•Care facility on site



Integration or Segregation?



Integration or Segregation?

• Housing developments for seniors can, and most believe should, be integrated into the broader community.

• There are many thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of integration however the overall view is that integration should be encouraged.

• The concept of walled and gated ‘aged segregated communities’ is not regarded as good urban design or social policy.



Research - Space, Privacy, Freedom:

• Older Australians believe what is currently being provided for them is not what they want 1

• They want to remain in their current communities 1

• Housing options need to be developed to meet these needs 1

• Potential retirement village clients wanted “space, privacy and freedom” 2

• Saw their housing move as downsizing rather than segregation 2

1 – Flinders University

2 – Brightwater Care Group



Overwhelming majority of older Australians desire :-

• Housing that is located within the broader community• Rooted in the neighbourhood and the community in which

they have spent their lives.• Affordable and provides an opportunity to live well, even if a

person’s resources are modest• Appropriately designed in that the housing provides a sense of

internal space• Provides security, but also enables a sense of neighbourliness

and encourages social interaction• Is accessible to public transport, and particularly general

practitioners, post offices, shops and hairdressers



Housing models they desired were• Small lot style houses• Comparable to project homes• Choice of home styles• Smaller blocks for easier maintenance (200m2)• Up to 3 bed plus study• No common walls• Double garages• Two toilets/bathrooms• Generous mobility• Adaptive features



“Club House”

Care Facility

Unit Clusters

Fully integrated development•Open community•Still distant from amenities•Individualised, separate houses•Small cluster groupings•Intergenerational community



Plan in areas where seniors already live



Identify small lot development opportunities

With lot sizes ranging from 200-400m2 or less, provision of this size of lot, accompanied by appropriately designed housing product would provide a means for current ageing residents to “downsize” while remaining in their community.



Work with developers to locate small lots in appropriate locations



Cottage lots a quality alternative

While these may have a general appeal they can be particularly attractive to older people looking to downsize.



Cottage lots a quality alternativeUnfortunately, builders, when designing these homes, do not think about the implications these designs have on seniors and therefore unintentionally introduce barriers, such as standard door widths, door steps, standard corridor widths, limited mobility, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms and lipped recesses for the shower.

While the appeal may be there for older people, these barriers become an impediment as frailty increases and may result in the older person having to move again at a later stage of life.

While ideally all homes should be designed to limit these impediments, certainly small lot designs should be specifically targeted as having to meet the needs of Universal Design building standards.



Adaptive featuresUniversally designed:

A universally designed home generally avoids barriers that may discriminate against people living in or visiting the home

Universal housing is designed to be useable by most people over their lifetime without the need for major adaptation or specialised design.



12 Universal design guidelines:1)Direct access2)Space for car parking3)Wide front door4)Wide internal doors5)Wide corridors6)Main facilities on the ground level7)Circulation space in the living room8)Space in the bedroom9)Bathroom designed for easy and independent access10)Enough space in the kitchen11)Enough space in the laundry12)Low window sills

Design all future homes this way



If development space is an issue…………….



Or even…………….



Creating Communities for our Seniors



Create communities for our seniors:

• Mixture of housing options• Mixture of affordability's• Small group comfort• Integrate with amenities

• Casual socialisation rather than organised activity

• Close to and accessible to important amenities

• Business as usual



Apartments and High Rise

• Egress and safety• Parking• Overlooking• Adaptability• Loneliness

Apartments for Life?



Inner City Living



Other Options?



Intentional communities



Cohousing communities



Pocket Neighbourhoods

• compromise between cohousing and conventional suburban living

• have more privacy and less common property than a cohousing community

• homes are still organised in a way to encourage community interaction



Sheltered Housing (Ireland)

• Self contained apartments

• Caretaker on site• Call bells• Adaptability• Security and

companionship



Sheltered Housing (UK)

• Self contained apartments• Caretaker on site• Call bells• Adaptability• Security and companionship



Extra Care Housing (UK)



“Green House” (USA)



Affordability?



Affordability

Without sufficient stock of appropriate and affordable housing there will be a crisis in aged support and care, as such housing is critical to both older people’s welfare and quality of life has a major impact on the capacity of other support and care services to deliver effective outcomes. (COTA Australia)



Affordability

• Availability and affordability of rental accommodation are major influences on whether they can age in their communities or need to move into residential care

• Older Australians who rent tend to have less security of tenure and less wealth than home owners

• The provision of affordable housing which facilitates both independent living and the delivery of home based care for older Australians who have insecure tenure is thus a priority.

• Evidence suggests more support for housing and rental assistance will be needed to meet significant demand pressures



Accessory Dwelling Units

• An ideal form of compact living• Affordable Housing Option



Garage Apartments



“Granny Flats”



“Granny Flats”

• Multiple dwellings• Separate entries and living spaces• Proximity allows families to

support each other



Financing Options

• Baby Boomers will resist Life Lease financing arrangements.

• Used to owning their own home.• Green title or Strata options• Retain capital growth as part of their investment• Reverse mortgage possibility to pay for services



Virtual Villages?



Virtual Communities



Virtual CommunitiesAshby Village

•Part of a growing movement of Villages in various stages of development•Great majority of Americans want to remain in their own homes as they age•Currently few resources to make that possible for most people•Village concept is that a community of people can pool resources by paying membership dues and volunteering their skills and time to support the Village infrastructure and to assist one another•Aware of the fact that we may increasingly need assistance and support•Membership in the Village provides a wide array of supportive resources



Virtual Communities

"We've grown up in a time when we were really able to, and demanded, the ability to be in charge of our own lives."

"Just because one is becoming older or retiring from a lifelong career or even an encore career... it doesn't necessarily diminish the importance of home, family, and community."

"We're building community, we're building connections..."

"This is just the beginning."



In summary.......



The Dynamic challenge:



The Static Dilemma:• Many Town Planners and Urban Designers think of cities as

static entities• They think of our cities as environments comprising a series

of lines on paper, tied up with: • Structure Plans, • Town Planning Schemes, • R Codes and set-backs

• The challenge for public officials is to find ways to allow neighbourhoods to evolve

• To allow communities to meet the need of residents



The Static Dilemma:• Our cities and communities must be dynamic• They must respond to changing demands and conditions. • Current planning practices respond poorly to changing

demands• They assume that factors such as land use density and mix

should remain fixed in existing neighbourhood configurations.

• “Ownership” becomes a barrier to change• The challenge for public officials is to find ways to allow

neighbourhoods to evolve



The Static Dilemma:• Older homeowners generally do not want to move• Easier to stay put than move

• Emotional investment• Financial barriers• Physical and psychological resources

• People need to be educated about • Benefits of moving early if current home is not ideal• What to anticipate (and demand) in community and housing

design for later life• Currently sold on housing models that exist but are not

popular• Need seniors to be more vocal about what they really want



Opportunities

• Golden opportunities for mixed use development• Concept of integrated communities• Good community consultation required –

• Not very good at this• Often pay lip service• Input sought “after the fact”

• Get communities to “plan their communities” before committing to a planning scheme “faite accompli”

• Universal design meets the needs of the whole community



Build community for all, seniors will “fit in”

Seniors Housing Forum - Crisis or Opportunity

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