House the aged
Older people’s needs must be treated as part of the mainstream housing debate and not a side issue, writes RICS Policy Project Manager James Rowlands
Britain’s ageing population demands a change in attitude and approach to housing from policy makers, builders and consumers. This will be essential as by 2026 it is estimated that 7,903,000 of the 25,975,000 households in the UK, roughly 30%, will have occupants over 65 years old.
If a vibrant and sustainable housing market is to be created for the future, it is essential that changing demographics and the rising number of older people is taken into account. The significant increase in the number of older households is the result of the baby boom generation – babies born in the post-war years – starting to cross this age threshold.
In 2006, there were 5.6m households aged over 65 and this is expected to increase by 2.3m by 2026. This is likely to include 630,000 owner-occupier couples living in family homes, along with around 250,000 one-person owner occupier households living in family-sized homes.
To look at these issues, RICS commissioned the University of York to carry out a research report – An Examination of the Housing Needs and Supply for an Ageing Society. The project investigated the demographic group of older homeowners living in larger homes, and in good health, and explored their attitudes and preferences for housing in later life.
This was done through a mixture of demographic analysis and discussion groups made up of older people.
Family relationships
During the discussions, a number of themes emerged showing that older people’s housing decisions were not just influenced by the size or type of home, but by issues such as neighbours, the area around their home and family relationships.
Financial considerations, such as access to equity, were not high on the list of priorities. Many participants said they would not move from their current home under any circumstances.
The small number of people who were actively seeking to move were looking for a property that was more manageable, rather than one that was cheaper. Current or future health concerns were also a major issue, which meant that many participants in the groups were looking for a bungalow.
Specialist retirement housing was not seen as an attractive option, but considered to be for the very elderly and infirm. Where homeowners sought to free up equity in their homes, the research showed that downsizing was favoured over the use of financial mechanisms, such as equity release schemes.
The uptake of equity release schemes has the potential to increase, however, and the Government must take steps to ensure that the industry is effectively regulated and consumers are protected.
Based on this research, Ministers’ first priority should be to provide homes that are suitable for older people and can easily be adapted to assist mobility and independent living. Standards should be put in place through building regulations and apply equally to public and private sector housing.
Moving process
Where people no longer want to stay in
their homes, the moving process must be
as straightforward as possible and the wider social benefits of downsizing recognised. There must be a package of measures to help, including changes to stamp duty, better information on moving home and age star ratings for properties.
This is particularly important in housing association and local authority homes due to the shortage of family housing. Looking beyond individual homes, the planning system should be used to ensure that new developments provide a range of property types and tenures for people of different ages to give a generational mix.
Where people do not want to move Government action should make it easier for them to adapt their current homes as they get older. Older people’s housing needs must be treated as part of the mainstream housing debate and not a side issue.
Housing an ageing society is not just about housing people who are old now, but thinking about how we can make the experience better for future generations. The principles of housing policy must be that older people retain as much control as possible over their housing choices.
For more information, visit www.rics.org/research and www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp
Senior care housing in Germany
Due to low birth rates and longer life spans, most European societies are getting older. But by 2050 it is predicted that Germany will have the oldest population in the world – with more than one in three Germans over 60. This rapid expansion of the ageing population will have significant ramifications for senior housing.
At present there are two standard models of senior care housing. Firstly, the standalone housing project model – where a landlord cooperates with a caregiver who provides Betreuungsleistungen (basic care services) to the senior resident.
These services include daily consultations concerning welfare, insurance and the Hausnotruf, an alarm call system often run by specialist companies. Secondly, there is heimverbundenes Betreutes Wohnen – an integrated model where sheltered housing works in cooperation with nursing homes.
In this model, senior residents live independently in their own flats, but have the option of using some of the services of the neighbouring care home, such as food, medicine, and activities. Plus, if they have an accident or medical emergency, care home staff can assist them.
But Germany’s older generation are looking at new models of living for their retirement years. Besides the standard models there has risen a range of individually designed senior housing services. One of the latest housing concepts is called BeneVit – where smaller nursing homes implement a group care approach to senior housing.
This is geared to normal living at home and promoted by local authorities in combination with investors. It usually includes about 15 privately serviced flats, partly offered by the nursing home. The main investor behind the BeneVit concept is Swiss Life, with the Hochtief group as contractor.
A European standard for all senior care housing has recently been initiated by ON (the Austrian Standards Institute). This standard will contain requirements for the transparency of services, definitions of the service performance, housing offers, the design of contracts, and quality assurance measures.
The completion of the standard, which will also be the basis for voluntary certification, is expected in 2011.
