New Approaches to Housing for Older People

This UK report looks at the approaches of organisations that are working to meet the opportunities of our ageing population; it also identifies some of the critical challenges to this, notably but not exclusively around financing, and offers some challenges back to local and central government, for their role in developing a framework that can make it easier for the industry to respond. Older people cannot be looked at as an homogenous group. So the range of housing choices and offers needs to increase. This briefing looks at how models of bespoke housing for older people (often termed sheltered or retirement housing) could be developed in the future that: • enable increasing numbers of older people to have better and more attractive housing options that provide more fit for purpose affordable solutions to their housing needs. • enable health and care services when needed to be delivered in/closer to home, providing better outcomes for older people and achieving savings for the public purse, by reducing dependency on acute services. • enable older people to have a living environment that promotes personal safety, social engagement and activity, maximising wellbeing and reducing the ill effects of social isolation and the adverse impacts of some long term conditions.