An independent future in retirement living

Examining the changing needs of our ageing population and the opportunities that can be presented in terms of housing choice, “right sizing”, and planning and design quality.

Retirement housing needs to be redefined; the age span of those likely to seek age related housing at some stage can range from 55 years to 85+ but retirement housing decisions are made at an average age of 78 years and in a time of crisis.

The language and approach to housing for older people needs to match aspirations and preferences. It also need to recognise that the concept of retirement has changed with higher retirement ages and older people continuing to work. Technologically driven services will open up a range of property and lifestyle choices too.

There is a need for a raft of choices, of differently sized specialist and non-specialist properties with a range of facilities and price points; the limited range of options becomes outdated too quickly. There is a lack of encouragement through local plans for the provision of older persons housing

Not all of the development needs of older people will be served by building new – extensions and small infill neighbourhood developments could meet many needs and the new build market currently only delivers around 3,300 new retirement homes a year.

Regeneration options need specific investigation. Housing associations and institutional investors could be major players in a mixed market of provision and offer much wider choice and life style benefits.