Housing and Health in Older People: Ageing in Place

Housing has a clear impact on the health of occupants. Affordable and appropriate housing protects people from hazards and promotes good health and wellbeing. In this paper we briefly review the demography and housing patterns of older people in New Zealand. We describe the impact of New Zealand’s climate and housing construction on health, before reviewing some significant health problems exacerbated by the indoor environment: respiratory conditions, coronary disease and hypothermia. We then analyse a variety of policy measures that could be used to improve the housing conditions of older people, paying particular attention to the assistance older people can be given to age in the communities where they have lived during their adult lives.