Action on housing
The UK’s population is rapidly ageing, and the implications – economically, socially and politically – are huge. And one of the biggest of these is where (and how) we house our ever-ageing population, many of whom will have restricted mobility or specific care or support needs.
We believe that the lack of a suitable housing supply in the right locations means that significant opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of older people… and reduce public expenditure on health and care… are being missed.
Further, the current energy crisis is highlighting the problem that so many elderly people have in keeping their home warm and dry when it is poorly insulated, draughty or subject to damp. The failure to adequately adapt and repair the existing homes of older people represents a huge missed opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of a large swathe of the population and reduce public expenditure in the process.
In fact, meeting the housing needs of older people would actually represent a national opportunity: the key to better care, fewer (and shorter) hospital stays and a more integrated society. Instead, older people regularly find themselves being criticised for not downsizing, or holding onto the nation’s housing assets.
Blaming older people for the country’s housing crisis is not only discriminatory but also demonstrably untrue: the problem is far more deep-rooted and borne of decades of undersupply against a background of a rising population. Research by WPI Economics and Homes for Later Living estimates that three million older people would like to downsize, yet only about 7,000 new retirement properties are built each year. We hope, with members’ input, to develop a shared policy on housing which we can campaign on. As a starter, The Housing Champions Network, appointed by Care & Repair England, has generated a “manifesto” of the actions which would go a long way towards ensuring older people can live independently as long as possible in homes that are safe, warm, comfortable and accessible.
Get involved
To contribute towards the AAA’s Housing Action policy plans or to see your blogs, papers, research or news on these pages, email: info@theageactionalliance.org
The Age Action Alliance is supported by
Latest News
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Report reveals health and finance struggles of older private renters in energy-inefficient homes
A new report from the charity Independent Age has revealed the difficult experience of older private renters in cold, energy in-efficient homes and the barriers in making the necessary property improvements.
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One-stop shops for home improvements would end “tragedy of poor quality homes”
New research from Ageing Better and partners identifies a cost-effective solution that could change the lives of up to one million people a year.
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Housing & Ageing Alliance urges Government to implement Housing Taskforce report
The Housing & Ageing Alliance, which includes the Age Action Alliance, has written an open letter to ministers urging them to prioritise urgent implementation of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce recommendations, as these will be crucial enablers for the Government’s national missions and milestones.
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Retirement village “Men’s Club” proves a lifeline
A retirement village in Nottinghamshire has created a new lifeline for men dealing with isolation and has boosted mental health in the form of a men’s only “Lads Group”.
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£2.1m grants fund to help older women from racially minoritised groups
Independent Age has launched its latest grants fund – the Older People’s Fund. The first round will award £2.1 million to organisations that provide support to older women from racially minoritised groups.
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Heatwaves threatening health of up to three million older people
Research from the Centre for Ageing Better shows that older people living in properties between 45 and 80 years old are most likely to experience the worst effects of heatwaves. There were more than 4,500 heat-related deaths estimated to have occurred in England in 2022 with projections indicating that the average number of heat-related deaths…
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Fixing our dangerous homes “would save billions in health and social care costs”
Fixing the dangerous homes lived in by older people would directly save the NHS and the social care sector more than £1.5 billion a year while delivering billions more in health benefits, newly published research reveals. New analysis from the Centre for Ageing Better reveals how poor-quality housing is incurring huge costs and pressures…
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Care & Repair Cymru launches new “Older not Colder’” service
The charity has launched a Wales-wide service aimed at reducing the impact and severity of fuel poverty on older people.
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Older people “at risk of being forced into residential care” due to adaptation delays
A new report from Age UK maintains that older people at risk of being forced into residential care due to massive delays in making adaptations to homes.
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“Older renters at risk of being left behind”
Older private renters in England are at risk of being left behind, says Independent Age, the charity supporting older people in financial hardship, and their new report report urges Government to learn from the rest of the world.
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The causes and impact of poor housing
Care & Repair Cymru’s new report highlights the serious consequences of disrepair in Wales, and concludes that tackling wear and tear leads to better health and wellbeing outcomes.
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The “scandal” of homelessness among older people condemned
Independent Age has condemned new figures that show that in the latest quarter the number of homeless older people has gone up again, to 2,610.
Latest blogs & comments
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How a BBC Documentary sparked a Sign Language Movement in a retirement village
What started as a six-week experiment has become a heart-warming legacy of transformation at ExtraCare Trust’s Hughenden Gardens Retirement Village in High Wycombe. By Charlotte Millions.
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Extra care housing: can design help improve the health and wellbeing of older people?
Josie Dorling, an architect with Poynton Bradbury Architects, looks at how accommodation that is thoughtfully designed to promote social interaction among residents can help to combat loneliness and isolation.
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Why are we waiting?
Procrastination isn’t just the thief of time. It can also be a thief of lives… as well as public money, writes Tony Watts OBE
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Inclusive Design isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline
Nearly 50% of social housing households include someone with a long-term health condition. And yet home adaptations are still seen as an afterthought writes Laura Wood Director of Invisible Creations.
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How can we maximise the “wellbeing potential” of retirement living?
Tony Watts OBE recently gave a presentation at LaingBuisson’s Social Care Summit on why later life housing developers need to “futureproof” their schemes by “maximising their wellbeing potential”. Here is an adapted version of that presentation. A common theme in any discussion on retirement housing in the UK is why retirement developments here have not…
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Older people take their demand for a Commissioner to Downing Street
Campaigners have taken their calls for the creation of a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England to the heart of Westminster.
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We are all paying the price for the nation’s poor and dangerous housing
Amongst all of the predictable hoo-ha around the PM’s call to end the culture of “sick note” Britain, it might well be forgotten that the poor state of our homes, plus crowded living conditions, is playing a key role in the rising tide of poor health in this country as well as startling levels of…
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Retirement living: why is something that’s so badly needed struggling to fulfil its potential?
In a report produced in partnership with the Silver Marketing Association, specialist later life and property writer Tony Watts OBE interviews marketers from four leading retirement providers to find out the challenges to increasing sales… and the solutions being applied.
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Whither an Age Friendly London?
After many years work, effort, and lobbying, London finally has an Age Friendly Action Plan. But, asks Tim Whitaker, a Trustee of Wise Age, will the plan make a difference and lead to concrete improvements in the lives of older people?
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Older people: making our case to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce
AAA members The Older People’s Housing Champions have been having their say on what the Government’s taskforce should be recommending. By Tony Watts OBE
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Providing health care, social care, community support and housing for older people: a good practice model
Some thirty years ago, writes Peter Dale, the Rye Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital in East Sussex was threatened with closure. Today, it is an example of what can be achieved by a combination of professional collaboration, community involvement and a willingness to “join the dots” between services.
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Celebrating the reciprocal benefits of homesharing
Caroline Cooke, director at CIC Share and Care Homeshare, describes the valuable contributions that both younger and older people bring to intergenerational living arrangements… and the reciprocal benefits.