Housing conditions of Ireland’s older population - Implications for physical and mental health

A vital component of successful ageing is functional independence and good quality of life. Good housing conditions are important to maintain good mental and physical health. In this report, we describe the housing circumstances of middle-aged and older Irish adults, identify poor housing conditions such as mould, damp, structural problems and heating difficulties, and then examine the associations between heating difficulties, health and wellbeing. This report uses data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a nationally representative cohort study of 8,175 community dwelling adults aged 50 years and over.