Housing Options for Our Ageing Population

The changing demographics and the implications for future health care costs underpin the importance of developing a wider choice of appropriate housing options for older people suited to their needs. The aim of this policy statement is to encourage and facilitate timely planning by older people, and to rebalance the care model away from inappropriate residential and/or acute care, to supporting older people to remain living independently in their own homes and communities for longer, as opposed to fast tracking into long term stay or acute settings. Much of the current research reflects the preferences of older people themselves and their advocates, that is to continue to live as independently as possible in their own community. Two key actions outlined in the Rebuilding Ireland document are being progressed together to help achieve the objective of developing a range of housing options for older people: 2.18: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG), in conjunction with Department of Health (DoH), is developing policy options for supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider range of residential care choices available to them. 5.8: We will explore ways to promote the availability of stepdown, specialist housing, for older people and incentivise down-sizing, where appropriate.