Industry Viewfinder
Today, people are living longer than ever, and with advances in modern medicine, they are thankfully remaining healthier for longer too
safer, and even longer lives – the question remains, why aren’t more housing professionals preparing for this looming crisis? As well as delving deeper into the level of suitability of our current social
and privately rented housing stock for older residents, this whitepaper will look into the reasons housing professionals have not already begun to prepare for our ageing population, from costs to a lack of understanding and Government funding.
INTRODUCTION ORIGINS OF SUPPORTED HOUSING Homes tailored to older residents have been around since at least the middle ages in Europe, starting with charitable residences for older men, of which the first known example is St Peter’s Hospital in York, founded in the year 936. It was not until the Tudor period however that Parliament intervened,
and legislated the first public poor houses – or, as they later became known, workhouses – which provided accommodation for both the poor, and the older residents. Tese workhouses were relatively few in number, and varied significantly in
quality. It wasn’t until the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 that a programme began to ensure each parish built its own workhouse, and base requirements were set. Slowly, nursing and care homes began to appear across the country in a
somewhat familiar form to today, and the first sheltered and retirement homes were introduced for those who needed some care, but wanted to retain more independence.
“How much of your housing stock do you believe meets the needs of those 85 and over?”
HOUSING OPTIONS TODAY Today, people are living longer than ever, and with advances in modern medicine, they are thankfully remaining healthier for longer too. Te range of housing options for older residents has only continued to
expand – with a multitude of supported to full care options available. But many are choosing to live longer in their own homes, due in large part to both their continued health in their later years, and the ability to modify their accommodation to account for any decrease in mobility as necessary. Unfortunately, however, it appears that our current housing stock is lacking at present when it comes to such accommodation in the rental sector.
“Do you believe the quality of the UK’s housing stock has improved, worsened, or stayed the same in recent decades?”
20 | HMMJune/July 2022 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
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