The final report from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department of Health and Social Care sheds light on the urgent need to transform housing options for senior citizens in England, addressing critical gaps and proposing actionable solutions.
The report emphasises the importance of creating age-friendly, dementia-inclusive, culturally sensitive homes and neighbourhoods to support healthy and fulfilling later lives.
Reframing “Older People’s Housing”
While the report refers to “Older People’s Housing” (OPH), it highlights the preference of many seniors for the term “Later Living Homes” (LLH). This reflects a desire to avoid stigmatising language and focus on empowering choices for independent living.
Key findings
The findings underscore the challenges faced by seniors in securing suitable housing:
• Limited availability: England needs 30,000–50,000 new LLH units annually, yet only 7,000 are built each year.
• Accessibility barriers: Most seniors live in mainstream housing ill-suited to their needs, with only 12% having level access at their building’s entrance and less than half having a bathroom on the entry-level of their home.
• Affordability issues: Private leasehold OPH options remain out of reach for many households aged 75 and older.
• Awareness gaps: Seniors often lack knowledge about housing options, leading to delays in planning for their future needs.
The benefits of change
Investing in LLH can improve senior citizens’ quality of life, reduce NHS costs by preventing injuries like falls, and ease the broader housing crisis by freeing up family homes. Community-focused, age-friendly housing can also foster social connections and enhance wellbeing.
A holistic approach
The report advocates for:
• Expanding Housing Choices: A mix of purpose-built LLH, adapted mainstream housing, and innovative community-led models like co-housing.
• Improving Existing Homes: Retrofitting homes to support ageing in place.
• Building Age-Friendly Communities: Strengthening social connections and integrating housing with health and social care systems.
The Taskforce outlines ten core recommendations, including:
1. Standardise definitions of OPH/LLH.
2. Incentivise a wide range of OPH/LLH options.
3. Ensure more housing is designed for later life.
4. Create age-friendly, dementia-inclusive, faith and culture-sensitive communities.
5. Expand OPH/LLH at scale and ensure it is affordable to live in, and viable to finance, build and operate.
6. Strengthen planning policies.
7. Establish a national information platform and local hubs.
8. Build consumer confidence.
9. Enhance innovation, research and professional development.
10. Create collective leadership to drive change.
Looking ahead
“This report marks the beginning of a journey,” the Taskforce Chair, Julienne Meyer, stated. With clear recommendations and broad stakeholder support, it lays the groundwork for a future where senior citizens can live independently, safely, and with dignity in homes and communities that support their needs.
For full details and recommendations, access the complete report.