Housing in an ageing society
ePolitix.com stakeholders comment on the Department for Communities and Local Government's national strategy for housing in an ageing society.
'Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods' outlines government plans to respond to the housing needs of older people as the population grows.Comment from:
Party response: Liberal Democrats
Julia Goldsworthy, spokesperson for communities and local government, said: "This initiative may help elderly people moving into newly built housing, but the government is still failing thousands of older people who are struggling to remain in their homes.
"Funding designed to support older people to live independently in their homes has been drastically cut by the government. This is a real failure in joined-up thinking.
"In most areas of the country, older people will have to unfairly wait until their condition deteriorates before they will receive any social care support."
Stakeholder response: Age Concern
To send a comment to Age Concern click here
Gordon Lishman, director general, said: "This strategy is a positive step. Our homes must be fit-for-purpose throughout our lives. It is unacceptable that so many older people live in a substandard home or one that is not suitable for their needs. All types of homes must be adaptable to meet the requirements of an ageing population.
"Simple adaptations like grip rails or putting switches at a convenient height help people to stay independent for longer. This cash will help more older people to stay in their own home and we hope that it will be targeted at those who are on a low income."
Stakeholder response: Anchor Trust
To send a comment to Anchor Trust click here
Dr John Belcher, chief executive, said: "Anchor Trust is dedicated to improving the lives of older people, and the national strategy has the same goal at its heart.
"The strategy recognises that social exclusion and isolation are very real problems for many older people: housing needs to be fully integrated into communities.
"Increased investment in handyman services and the modernisation of the Disabled Facilities Grant will enable Anchor Staying Put, our home improvement agency, to help even more people to continue living in their own homes.
"And it is also extremely encouraging to see the government acknowledging the value of specialised housing, which will play a crucial role over and above general needs housing as the population ages and care needs increase.
"The next generation of older people will have higher expectations and be more discerning than their parents.
"Anchor is already delivering housing options which provide social and lifestyle choices for older people, which empower them to engage with the surrounding community"
"The housing of the future needs to be aspirational and inspirational.
"To achieve this, there needs to be more vision and joined-up thinking among local authority planners, regional housing boards and development partners, and regional housing strategies must more consistently address the housing needs of older people.
"Fresh thinking is essential and we have to start offering older people a choice of stock across tenures, in good locations, with superb design values and links to the wider community.
"Few planners and developers seem willing to take this leap of faith towards a more innovative approach. The government needs to drive home the values enshrined in its innovation panel, if it is to offer older people a meaningful choice of housing options."
"Plenty of thought is given in the strategy to the housing of the future, such as lifetime homes.
"But the same weight is not given to the urgent need to remodel a large amount of dated existing stock to meet the same lifetime homes standards.
"Remodelling can be an expensive and disruptive process, and the government needs to take the lead and introduce a clear plan and timetable for its agencies to help deliver this vital work."
Stakeholder response: Carers UK
To send a comment to Carers UK click here
A spokesperson said: "Carers UK welcomes the national strategy for housing in an ageing society. It demonstrates that government is starting to take a joined-up response to the demographic challenges facing us as a society. We are especially pleased to see an acknowledgement of the value of unpaid carers in supporting older people to live independently in the community.
"It is vital that this strategy joins with the National Strategy for Carers, which will be published in the spring, and the green paper on social care later this year. When we improve systems of support for older people, we also enable their carers (who may be a younger relative or friend trying to combine work and care) to have a life outside caring.
"For example, the use of assistive technology can provide a more secure home for an older person but can also enable the carer to work, confident that if anything happened to the person they care for, they will be notified. In this way, the housing strategy will contribute both to individual quality of life, but will also help create strong and sustainable communities."
Stakeholder response: Help the Aged
To send a comment to Help the Aged click here
Paul Cann, director of policy and external relations, said: "This strategy is enormously important. Housing is the backbone of older people's quality of life, affecting their health, wellbeing and independence.
"We live in an ageing population and our housing must meet the needs of older people, both now and in the future. We're delighted the government seems to have taken this on board. The commitment to housing advice, repairs and adaptations will help older people who want to continue to live independently now.
"The promise to build new houses to 'lifetime homes' standards will mean there is more appropriate housing for people of all ages in the future. Extra funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is crucial – far too many older people struggle to live independently at home when all they need is help with improvements and adaptations.
"Help the Aged urges housing providers, builders and policy makers to embrace this strategy which will hopefully be the springboard for older people to be able to make genuine, informed choices about where and how they want to live."
Stakeholder response: Homeless Link
To send a comment to Homeless Link click here
Alice Evans, head of policy analysis, said: "Homelessness is only addressed in the document in relation to prevention. It is disappointing that there is no mention of appropriate housing for older homeless people with multiple needs, but the approach does tie in with the prevention work that we are planning to develop in the Coalition on Older Homelessness (COHP), so it will be useful to tie into priorities in the strategy."
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