Housing and Older People: time for fresh thinking and new ideas

In 2001 the UK Government set out its vision in ‘Quality And Choice For Older People’s Housing: A Strategic Framework’. This stated that ‘ ... housing... can be the springboard that enables older people to remain involved and live their lives to the full.’ This paper examines the problems and provides action plans. It promotes the need for fresh thinking about older peoples' housing needs, in view of the growth in owner occupation and the links between health and housing etc. Older people should be actively involved in service planning, and alternatives to residential care, new models of shared ownership, and extension of the Decent Homes Standard to the private sector are proposed. Service planning must actively involve older people's participation.