kitchens refurbishment
Kitchens for the ages
It’s high time that kitchens are adapted to functionally respond to the UK’s changing demographics, argues Mike Turner, executive director of kitchen specialists Ian Williams.
L
iving conditions in social homes has improved significantly since the introduction of the Decent Homes Programme in the early 2000s, with hundreds of thousands of tenants enjoying the benefits
of modernised homes today. Kitchens – arguably one of the most important rooms in any household –
were the most refurbished areas in a home in 2014/2015 in England, with over 76,000 kitchens undergoing renovations worth £320m, or about £4,200 per home. While work carried out through Decent Homes brought about essential home improvements, the focus of refurbishments is now shifting towards the varying needs of UK’s ageing population.
The impact of aging
Life expectancy in Britain has risen sharply over the last century along with the size of the population. There are currently 11.6 million people aged over 65 in the UK, a number that is expected to rise to 15.5 million in 2030 and hit 19 million by 2050. In parallel, older people’s health is often poorer than that of the rest of the population. An estimated four million over-65’s have a limiting
longstanding illness, and half of the 10 million disabled people in Britain are over state pension age. Dementia is also becoming more widespread with no sign of slowing.
“Life expectancy in Britain has risen sharply over the last century along with the size of the population. There are currently 11.6 million people aged over 65 in the UK”
These statistics make for sombre reading, especially as many older people wish to remain independent, and as long as they can do so, they are not being a strain on external services. The good news is that there are many steps that local authorities, RSLs and property service experts can take to ensure kitchens in particular are appropriately planned and designed to address current needs, but most importantly that they are also future-proofed.
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM January 2017 | 47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52