Lucky enough to get old – housing that supports healthy ageing

By Holly Holder, Senior Consultant at Campbell Tickell, highlights the urgent need for more accessible, affordable housing for older people in England. Here she calls for national policy change, market incentives, as well as on-going local action to ensure everyone can age with dignity, independence, and choice.

The recent Spending Review was met by the housing sector with positivity and a huge sigh of relief. The long sought after recognition of the value of safe, affordable, good quality housing was finally delivered in both verbal and financial commitment.

Much is known about the need for more housebuilding in England. Similarly, that we have an ageing population is also an accepted fact. However, the need to increase the range, suitability and affordability of housing suitable for older people is often absent from the debate. This is despite the vital role housing plays in creating safe, healthy environments that enable a range of living arrangements, with care and support as needed (as noted in ADASS’ policy priority to bring ‘Care Closer to Home’).  

Improving choice and control for older people

Whether the Spending Review translates into additional older people’s housing will depend on a number of factors, as set out in Campbell Tickell and the Abbeyfield Living Society’s 15 point plan. Between the forthcoming long-term housing strategy, further details on the Social and Affordable Housing Programme, and other imminent policies, there are several opportunities to embed these principles and create a future with greater choice and control for older people and their families.

The forthcoming long-term housing strategy should be guided by the need to consider what housing people need now and in the future. There needs to be a cross-departmental commitment to both improving the homes that already exist and futureproofing the ones that will be built over the next Parliament.

In an ideal scenario, people of all ages have a choice between a set of high-quality options about where they want to live. For some, this will mean support to adapt, repair and maintain their current homes, with access to independent and trusted information and advice.  

Market incentives and direction

For others, this will mean moving into an affordable, care or retirement facility but people’s options are limited. Leaving new build retirement facilities to the market has left a gap for those with mid-low wealth, with nearly 2.5 million older people who are too rich for social housing and too poor for the current offer. The market needs direction and one way to achieve this in the affordable and social housing sector would be to set targets or incentivise building older people’s housing, or at the very least recognise and create a level playing field for the additional costs when building these homes (the need for communal areas, grounds, etc).

Minimum accessibility standards

An easy win for the government, would be to commit to raising the minimum accessibility standards of all new build housing. Estimates suggest that building a three-bedroom semi-detached house to accessibility standards (M4(2)) would only cost an additional £644 per home. A fraction of the overall price.

Recruit and retain quality staff

Wherever people are living, a growing number will need access to some level of support. Existing providers of sheltered and supported housing should be enabled to maintain their current properties to a high standard and supported to recruit and retain quality staff. Access to social care – either at home or in a residential or nursing home – will become even more pressured without a resolution to the sector’s challenges.  

Remodelling, repurposing and upgrading facilities

While we wait for a national policy shift, there is still much that we can do locally to support and enable the right housing and advice to be developed. Campbell Tickell can help Local Authorities review their current housing, care and support offer to older people, finding ways to strengthen it – e.g. through remodelling, repurposing and upgrading facilities – and optimising the design of services. All these activities mean that local authorities are pushing in the right direction while we wait for a bigger policy initiative.

Demographic change is not a future problem. Nor is it a surprise that has crept up on us (the oldest baby boomers are now 78 years old). Older people need homes that enable them to lead fulfilling lives, and the current policy arena give us the opportunity to make that a reality.  

After all, it’s the lucky ones that grow old.

For any questions raised in this blog, please feel free to contact: Holly Holder, Senior Consultant: Holly.Holder@campbelltickell.com or visit Campbell Tickell’s website to find out how we are supporting older people’s housing.