Housing needs of older people

What are the housing needs of older people? Must housing be designed differently to meet these needs? Should designers and developers of housing look beyond ‘needs’ and attend to aspirations also? What would it be like if everyone could expect a comfortable level of retirement-living, or at the very least, exercise the right to occupy a good-quality home in later life? The paragraph quoted earlier from UK government guidance to local authority planning departments implies that existing housing stock is not fit for purpose or that there is a lack of appropriate housing options. But should we be designing new forms of housing targeted at older people, or should all housing be age-friendly? How do we avoid ghettoising older people and mitigate the risks of isolation in later life? How can the design of mainstream housing be improved to better accommodate older people and help assure an appropriate quality of life?

Evidence shows that over the course of the 20th century we have succeeded in extending life expectancies around the world, particularly within the developed economies of the Northern hemisphere. However, gerontologists have also shown that living longer does not necessarily translate to longer periods of healthy life expectancy but may result in more people experiencing sustained periods of lower life satisfaction and increased dependence on social care and others. For architects, and designers of the built environment, the growing number of older people raises new questions around inclusivity – who are we designing for, and how are they understood and consulted?