The housing options of older people now extend far beyond the traditional choice between staying put and making do, or moving to specialist housing or residential care. A flexible suite of options ...

Housing options for older people in a reimagined housing system: a case study from England

Housing in Later Life

With the rise in the number of people aged 65+ in New Zealand, it seems increasingly important that there is a supply of appropriate housing so they can remain in their communities and ‘age in place’ for as long as possible.  Evidence from both literature and statistics showed a mismatch between current and projected household characteristics and the existing housing supply in New Zealand. Therefore, this research investigated the potential for converting existing dwellings to address the housing shortfall and ageing in place in New Zealand. The aim was to make the selected houses both smaller and more age-friendly, as a means of achieving ‘ageing in place’ in well designed, and easy to heat and maintain homes.  Two New Zealand housing types were investigated (villa and state house). Using the New Zealand Lifemark 3-star standard, both were redesigned with different degrees of shared space. Three designs were produced for each house, ranging from subdivision (conversion to two smaller units), to having some shared spaces such as a guest bedroom, to private en-suite bedsitting-rooms and all living spaces shared. Using a mixed methods approach, the schemes were evaluated by client and expert participants in three steps.  1. The aim of the questionnaire-based survey was to obtain comments on the conversions, particularly regarding the levels of sharing. Following the two pilot surveys and subsequent revisions, a web and paper-based questionnaire survey was undertaken by 441 respondents aged 55-85.  2. To assess the designs and specifically whether they incorporated appropriate housing standards for people aged 55+, they were evaluated by five built environment and ageing population experts.  3. To probe the reasons behind the survey results, two rounds of client focus groups of 17 participants aged 55+ were conducted.  What was clear from the results, and which aligns with other studies, was that a high proportion of older people would prefer to age in place, either in their existing house or in a more suitable dwelling within their community. However, the cost of house conversions was perceived as problematic, as people felt that they would not be in a position to afford to do this, even if they could sell or let the new unit they would not occupy. On the other hand, the significant benefits of upgrading a house for older people include reduced energy bills through effective design strategies, such as thermal insulation and double-glazed windows, and incorporation of future-proof design features such as the installation of assistive devices like stair lifts.  Generally, schemes with higher degrees of sharing were not attractive to many respondents and those aged 75-85 were more likely to dislike these than the younger age groups. However, both expert and client groups agreed the acceptability of sharing depends on people’s personal preferences, culture, and background. Findings from this research also show that having a spare multi-purpose room, a private deck and a good-sized dwelling with plenty of sunlight are features most people wanted.  This research suggests that people aged 55–85 have very specific housing needs when it comes to ageing in place. Therefore, to ensure their requirements are met and dwellings are usable, engaging potential users in the design process at an early stage is essential.

House Conversions and Sharing for an Ageing Population in New Zealand

Accessible housing is an urgent issue for countries experiencing rapid population aging. For over 20 years the United Kingdom’s (UK) building code (Part M) and Lifetime Homes Standard have been res...

Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the UK’s Regulatory Tools for Accessible Housing: Lessons for Canada

Demographic changes have prompted the development of ‘age-friendly’ housing design standards in several countries, but there has been limited exploration of whether older prospective homebuyers would prefer to purchase homes with accessible and adaptable features. This exploratory study used a stated choice experiment to explore whether prospective homebuyers in England aged 50 and over would prefer homes with accessibility and adaptability attributes. Respondents were significantly more likely to select dwellings with step-free access and adaptable bathrooms than properties without these features and were willing to pay significantly more to purchase them. 

Do older homebuyers prefer dwellings with accessibility and adaptability features? Findings from an exploratory study

In the United Kingdom, the supply of new homes to the housing market tends to be focused either on “general-needs” housing on the one hand, or on special-needs housing for the elderly on the other, with relatively few people moving into homes that will support their independence as they age. Against the backdrop of the UK's chronic housing shortage and the UK government's recent Housing Standards Review, this case study of a mainstream housing development—which meets so-called “Lifetime Homes” in “Lifetime Neighborhoods” standards—identifies specific design and locational features that have attracted “downsizers” to buy into it, as well as those they subsequently found problematic.

The Design of Mainstream Housing for Downsizers

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The Design of Mainstream Housing for Downsizers