Opinion
existing homes into something better suited to their changing needs. It is worth pointing out that this is not just a later life living issue. If all those aged 65 or over who wanted to move to better housing were able to do so, they would free up 1m homes and release up to 2m spare bedrooms, according to the same WPI report. This would have a huge impact on the current housing crisis and help to get younger generations and families onto the housing ladder. Yet we cannot tackle the shortage in demand with a one size fits all approach. The needs of the elderly in the country vary considerably, both in terms of budgets and care requirements. It is important that we see retirement communities as part of the wider- housing ecosystem and recognise that providing the elderly with an alterative to staying in their current homes benefits the entire community.
This is why we are pushing ahead with our plans to build, build, build! Off the back of the government’s reforms to the planning system earlier this year we have set out our intent to purchase more than 60 new sites by the end of 2021. As well as increasing supply we are increasing multi-tenure options and services for homeowners, which is
HORNE ®
We are also calling for ten per cent of all new housing to be designed specifically for older people, to further stimulate our sector and the wider housing market
something we have seen considerable demand for of late, with 127 multi-tenure transactions completed throughout the course of this year.
Building recognition and support for housing with support and care With the responsibility of increasing the supply of new later living communities, we have a duty to ensure the housing we are creating caters for the very nuanced lifestyles and needs of older generations. We are not a ‘build and go’ developer - we provide on-going support and care to our homeowners. Vibrant communities are created in our developments, people have more purpose to their lives and go more things - they live happier and healthier.
A second report by WPI Economics, Healthier and Happier, points out homeowners in specialist retirement housing feel as good as someone ten
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years younger on nationally recognised general wellbeing criteria.
Furthermore, the same report found that providing the elderly with appropriate housing can significantly reduce pressure on health services: each person living in a retirement property contributing savings to the NHS and social care system of approximately £3,500 per year.
That is a really important point and supports our belief that a more holistic approach to housing and care is needed – and getting the mix right can go a long way in supporting the country’s wider infrastructure, particularly during recovery from this crisis.
Even before the pandemic, we were working hard to bring housing and care in closer sync. Our housing with care offer - known as Retirement Living PLUS (RLP) – is designed to give our oldest homeowners the attention and
OPTITHERM
January 2021 •
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
23
Building
Better Healthcare Award Winner 2008
“Best Interiors Product”
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