THE CALL OF COMMUNITY

A very British problem.

What are the cultural factors and blockers holding back later living's potential in the UK?

The cultural conundrum

What do we think of when we consider later living? Stereotypes of ageing abound in the media and in everyday discourses. In the UK in particular, the contemporary notion of ‘ageing well’ generally presumes independence and active contributions. We are a country with a mass perception that downsizing and moving into a retirement environment is an admission of weakness – one that that people only make when forced into no other option. Many people stay in homes too large for their requirements or that they struggle to maintain, causing extreme unhappiness, isolation, and financial burden.

“Despite the potential economic, health and mental benefits that well-designed developments can provide, much of our aging population are missing out on what can be a positive evolution of living…”

Planning and population

Often it’s process and policy that can hold back the potential of a sector, and later living is a prime example. There is currently no land use class for such development: applications either fall between C2 and C3 for residential institutions or residential dwellings respectively. As such, the industry is calling for a new use class to introduced, such as CR2, which would link housing, health and local planning policies.

“It’s estimated that there are currently 3.1 million potential elder buyers in the UK, but only 7,000 new units are constructed annually. This, combined with a lack of joined up thinking, is on course to create an unprecedented drive for demand.”

This issue is further compounded by the lack of government or local authority targets for new housing designed for older people, despite awareness of an increasingly aging population. Currently, 40% of council spending is on social care, and will only rise if housing isn’t addressed. There is also the issue of loss of S106 income associated with retirement housing, which needs to be changed in order to incentivise local councils to grant planning for new schemes.

Availability and awareness

Limited availability of later living schemes in the UK means there is often a lack of awareness of options, and even those who might want to move into a development have little to choose from.

“Less than 3% of the UK’s housing stock is geared towards the later living market, much of it built as traditional sheltered housing several decades ago. Such low provision is harmful not only for older people, but our country as a whole.”

By 2040, the UK population will have grown to about 73 million – nearly 10% more than today. But much more significant is the projection that nearly one in four people will be aged 65+. That represents a 41% increase in that age group to nearly 18 million.

It’s clear that later living perception, planning and provision is in need of a complete transformation…

A word on wording – what's in a name?

One of the issues surrounding the image of this sector is the lack of definition of what’s being provided. At least 10 terms are used currently:

This lack of clarity is arguably influencing people’s perception of what’s on offer…

The journey to clarity begins

ARCO has begun to clearly define the offerings in this space.

ARCO is the representative body for the Retirement Community/Housing-with-care sector for older people in the UK.

About Retirement Communities/Housing-with-care

Retirement Communities sit in between traditional retirement houses (which have less extensive staffing and leisure facilities), and care homes, and can be set in urban or suburban locations. There is a growing body of evidence which shows that Retirement Communities keep older people healthy, well and independent for longer – reducing the overall level of care they need and keeping them out of care homes and hospitals. Currently about 77,000 people live in Retirement Communities in the UK, but this number is set to grow to 250,000 people by the end of the decade. Retirement Communities are the fastest growing form of social care provision in the UK – with demand significantly exceeding current supply. Typically consisting of individual one or two bedroom flats or houses, located in a development with similar properties, residents have access to a range of services and facilities, which will include optional on-site care, 24-hour staffing, and dining and leisure facilities, and may also include bars, gyms and craft rooms. Retirement Communities are also sometimes referred to as housing-with-care schemes, retirement villages, extra care housing, assisted living, or close care apartments.

The benefits of Housing-with-Care

Housing-with-care has shown during the outbreak that it can help residents to self-isolate independently. A particular advantage of this form of retirement provision is that residents can access the highest levels of support from staff through care, meals, regular phone check-ins and a wide range of online activities.

More broadly, housing-with-care brings a range of great benefits to older people and our country as a whole:

  • Delivering savings to the social care system: Providing social care for those with lower-level needs costs £1,222 (17.8%) less per person per year, and for those with higher-level needs £4,556 (26%) less than in other care settings.
  • Boosting health and the NHS: By improving the physical and mental health of residents, costs like GP, nurse and hospital visits reduce by 38%. £5.6bn in cost savings will be made for health and social care if 250,000 over-65s live in housing-with-care by 2030.
  • Freeing up family homes: 562,000 bedrooms will be released to the market for all generations if the sector achieves its 2030 growth targets.
  • Efficient use of land: Apartments for older people are built using up to six times less space than family homes.
  • Tackling loneliness: Residents are five times as likely as non-residents to participate in social events, and four times as likely to get together with friends.

These benefits have been clearly demonstrated during the coronavirus outbreak. The provision of care, meals and support onsite has played a key role in keeping residents well and healthy. Housing-with-care has been central to cutting hospital admissions, reducing strain on the NHS and providing crucial step-down capacity once people could leave hospital.