News

UK needs investment in retirement villages for growing elderly population

Public sector urged to work with private firms to boost construction of quality housing dedicated to the needs of the UK’s increasing older community.

“Village Life. Independence, Loneliness, and Quality of Life in Retirement Villages with Extra Care”

Central and local government should work with the private sector to stimulate the construction of new, good quality retirement housing, according to new research published this week.

The research by the International Longevity Centre – UK, an independent think tank dedicated to addressing issues of ageing population, government should also do more to promote new models of housing that better accommodate the needs of the increasing older community across the UK.

“As our society ages, we can expect to see greater numbers of people living into later life, with more people than ever before developing needs for care and support,” International Longevity Centre - UK

One solution, says the report, is the construction of so-called “extra care housing”, where care services are provided on an as-needed basis to residents within their own homes in dedicated retirement villages.

“As our society ages, we can expect to see greater numbers of people living into later life, with more people than ever before developing needs for care and support,” says the report.

“Innovative and creative solutions are key to avoiding the increasing and unsustainable pressures to deliver this social care,” it adds. “The idea behind extra care housing is that people can move into a new home where care services are available as needed, flexibly tailored to suit the individual circumstances of the resident.”

In particular the report “Village Life. Independence, Loneliness, and Quality of Life in Retirement Villages with Extra Care”,  highlights that older people living in dedicated retirement villages or properties with such dedicated care provided experienced lower levels of loneliness and a high quality of life, compared to those living in either traditional homes or in residential care home.

The report urges government to ensure that no significant policy or regulatory barriers prevent the adaptation of existing structures into good quality retirement properties.

“Policy-makers should also encourage people in early older age to consider making such a move,” says the report. “Earlier moves into residences that accommodate evolving health needs may become an even greater issue in future decades given the low rates of homeownership among younger people.”

“Our research provides evidence that residents enjoy such housing and are overall quite happy with their decision after their move.”

If you would like to contact Antony Oliver about this, or any other story, please email antony.oliver@infrastructure-intelligence.com.