bathroom refurbishment Indeed, a warning that the adult social care sector is in crisis came in a
recent report ‘The State of the Nation’s Housing’ from the International Longevity Centre. It reveals that the retirement housing sector is not yet building enough homes for a swelling older population and says that ensuring effective home adaptations in the short-term is critical for those with activities of daily living (ADL) restrictions. ADLs range from bathing to using the toilet, walking, eating, dressing and getting into and out of bed. The report states: “Currently around 54 per cent of people who have ADL
limitations live in homes without any health-related adaptations despite the fact that, for a great number of those with limitations, adaptations would make a real difference...Facilitating a greater number of adaptations must be an important immediate policy objective.” So, by working with an experienced adapted living solutions partner, social landlords and housing associations can ensure their properties feature cost-effective, built-in flexibility that will free their housing stock to change with the times.
That’s why it’s a good idea to install level access showers or wetrooms. These solutions are growing in popularity in the private as well as public sector, with tenants recognising the benefits of these products regardless of their housing needs. In a recent survey of 2,000 homeowners by Anglian Home Improvements, 43 per cent of respondents said they felt that adding a wetroom would increase the value of their homes. Adapted living solutions providers offer innovative, flexible bathroom
designs that can future-proof housing stock at little or no extra cost and increase accessibility in the bathroom. For example AKW offers two “Bathroom-for-Life” design concepts to meet the diverse needs of social housing tenants. The first is a system featuring a built-in former and adapter to make it fast and simple for a bathroom with a bath to be converted to a wetroom. These durable, high load-bearing devices also maximise flexibility as the leading formers have offset waste positions and are strong enough to fit straight onto joists. With this design the bath becomes, in essence, a piece of furniture
that can be kept or removed and put back again according to tenant preference.
Smart showers
Another vital element in the bathroom is the shower unit and the technology in this area has also been developing rapidly to meet the needs of the ageing population. Most recently, for example, Bluetooth- enabled smart electric showers have become available. Models such as iCare can be controlled either with a push button
interface on the front of the device or via a wireless remote control or smartphone app to provide additional flexibility and assistance to carers without interfering with the users’ privacy. To address the growing cases of dementia specifically, dementia-friendly
bathroom designs should be considered to introduce greater safety. AKW conducted extensive research to discover the best practice approach and identified a series of design changes beneficial to tenants as they eliminate dangers, including trip points, slippery floors and hot water hazards.
Critical issues
Adopting a ‘person-centric’ design approach does not cost more than a standard adaptation; it simply requires an understanding of the key safety issues. Although safety and design – particularly in relation to accessibility – are
critical issues for the elderly and disabled, there is another equally pressing concern – the need for refurbishment. Although there is a large amount of sheltered housing around the UK, most was built 30-40 years ago and urgently needs upgrading.
34 | HMM November 2016 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk James Dadd is marketing director at AKW Vulnerability by numbers
•The current 11.4 million people of retirement age nationwide is set to triple by 2050 to 34.2 million
•70 per cent of the total health and social care spend in England is spent on long-term age-related health conditions
•Older people occupy almost a third of all UK homes and 76 per cent of older households are owner-occupied
•The number of households headed by a person aged 65 and over is predicted to rise to more than seven million by 2021
•By 2019 the wetroom market is forecast to have increased by 34 per cent compared with 2014
•Almost 45 per cent of social tenants in England are over the age of 55
•Around half a million people aged under 65 are receiving Disability Living Allowance as a result of a musculoskeletal problem as many are left unable to work because of severe pain and restricted mobility
•Just 4 per cent of people with mobility impairments looking for accessible homes said they were easy to find, according to disability charity The Papworth Trust
•One in 10 people are expected to develop arthritis in the near future
•A fifth of the UK population (12.9 million people) reported a disability in 2014/15, a million more than a year earlier
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