Homes fit for older people

14/11/2007

Over the last few months, Mature Times has criticised the lack of supply of purpose-designed homes for older people in this country. This month, John Galvin, Chief Executive of the Elderly Accomodation Counsel, sets out his agenda for change and improvement.

I’ve followed the debate sparked off by your lead article in August about the barriers to building more housing for older people, and support your campaign for a better deal for older people and a more intelligent approach to releasing housing for younger families.

Your contributors have identified the importance of better strategic planning by local authorities, and fresh thinking about the aspirations of older people for good quality homes coupled with services and leisure facilities.

But if we’re going to win the moment and persuade Government to support change through its coming housing strategy, and tease more people to choose to move in later life, I suggest we need to frame our thinking and our arguments within a broad and positive agenda for choice about how we live in older age. More older consumers and voters need to want the products on offer; the “demand” side of the equation needs tackling too.

It’s worth noting that 600,000 people in the UK live in “retirement” housing – half a million renting from a council or housing association, just 100,000 as owners. By contrast, almost half a million over 50s own a “park home”. And nearly one million people chose to live and draw their pension abroad.

EAC’s Advice Line fields calls from 8,000 older people and their younger relatives a year, most wanting to discuss their housing situation at a time of crisis. A large number, in both age bands, have a gloomy view of what we call retirement housing. They see it as a last resort, a forced move – away from normal living and into an institution. So it’s not obvious to me that simply increasing the supply of it will achieve the results we all want.

Perhaps the term retirement housing has not served us well; it doesn’t communicate an ambition to provide the “vibrant communities” envisaged by Tony Watts or the space standards called for by one of your correspondents. Overall it hasn’t persuaded large numbers of older people that it can meet their aspirations; nor has it communicated successfully how it can meet their need for support or care if and when required.

There is certainly plenty of evidence that, once having moved to retirement housing, most residents are more than satisfied with the product; however comparatively few people choose to consider it seriously until the going gets tough. It’s not an aspirational choice, rather a least bad option when continuing to live in the family home has become problematic.

For many people, it isn’t an attractive enough proposition to overcome the sense of loss at giving up the family home. So I fear that newer forms of retirement housing – assisted living, care communities and villages, and extra care schemes – could suffer the same fate if we don’t manage to develop a more positive, open, adult and real conversation with older people about what they offer, how they work in practice for people who live in them, and how they can be continuously improved.

This is why EAC is launching its Quality of Information Mark this autumn. We’re upping our game, and looking to housing providers to work with us on an initiative to ensure that people have access to clear and comprehensive information about each and every housing development in the UK that claims to cater for older people. The Information Mark isn’t a star rating system, and doesn’t aim to judge what’s right for you. Quite the opposite. It aims to raise the level of awareness and knowledge about specialist housing for older people, and to help individuals, armed with their own priorities, locate developments that might suit them.

This feels to me like the kind of response that’s needed to address the expectations of a new generation of older people. Their demands are high – for security, companionship, sound investment of their assets, an uplifting environment, plus care or support when needed without loss of dignity or self-esteem.

On the broader front, I have high hopes for the forthcoming housing strategy for older people. Over the last four years I have been impressed at the way Government has canvassed the views of older people through the Housing and Older People Development Group (HOPDEV) it invited to advise it, and I, along with many others, trust we won’t be disappointed by the outcome.