FEATURE
that loneliness can increase the general risk of death by as much as 29%, but in the UK there are over 2.2 million people over 75 living alone and, according to Age UK, over 1.2 million older people in the UK suffer with chronic loneliness.
COVID-19 has shown just how important community is to our individual and collective wellbeing. Creating attractive living options that are integrated with community services and accessible facilities will be paramount to fostering community and a sense of belonging following the pandemic. But balancing a drive towards community against the need for privacy and dignity is crucial.
Ensuring that rooms have en-suite facilities, combined with communal dining and living spaces shared between a smaller cohort of residents can ensure that people have their own private spaces alongside the social benefits of communal living.
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In residential care home settings, this can further improve the ability of care providers to effectively manage any potential infection risks, isolating residents in ways that protect their dignity, mental and physical health.
A WATERSHED MOMENT
It is clear that there is much to be done to provide universal access to attractive, appropriate and dignified elderly living for the UK’s ageing population. But far from being a separate, one-off public health issue, COVID-19 has actually accelerated the need to integrate new approaches to long- term care, leveraging technology within care homes and building the vital housing stock for added care living. If we rise to this challenge, we really do have the chance to build back better once the virus has passed.
www.kajima.co.uk - 37 -
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