Exploring suitable housing Options For Older Adults

Moving or improving – what are the options?

Although most older adults would prefer to stay in their current home, changes in an individual’s health or circumstances can make this difficult.  This briefing aims to help you understand what the main housing options are and where to find further information.

Often, older adults manage to remain at home with additional support from carents, care services (home care, live in carers) and other services such as cleaners, gardeners and maintenance services) or home improvements such as stairlifts, ramps, rails and security).

However, it is also important to ensure that there are appropriate arrangements in place to fund and maintain their property – issues like bills, repairs, security, pest control, heating.  It is also worth considering whether staying at home is the safest and healthiest option in the face of other concerns such as safety or loneliness.

Housing options?

For some individuals, tackling these ongoing challenges or meeting these developing needs is best achieved by a move to a different type of home or location.   Depending on age, funds, needs and preferences, the main types of housing to consider (always bearing in mind the level of care and support which is, or might be, needed) include:

• • A more suitable property (eg an apartment or bungalow ) or location perhaps in a retirement housing scheme/village

• • Sheltered housing schemes which variably provide communal areas and activities, a warden or 24 hour emergency support

• • Assisted living facilities (also known as extra care housing) are a step up from sheltered housing and generally entail a  self-contained apartment and a range of on-site 24hr care services alongside some maintenance and domestic support services such as shopping and laundry and often with communal areas and activities such as clubs, restaurants and gardens

• • Residential care homes or nursing homes

• • Living with you or others

Decisions about whether to move or just improve the home are complex and each has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of risk, finance and wellbeing. It is important to make an informed decision and to recognise that as we get older our needs for care and support are likely to evolve or change over time along with our ability to fund and maintain property.   Additionally, a house move is a major life event which is stressful at any age and can be very disruptive in the face of frailty.

Aspects of housing to consider

HOOP is a tool to consider how suitable a property is as well as giving you information about available services which could help with specific concerns.  The tool is linked to a limited number of geographies but even if yours is not included, it can still help you to think broadly and get a sense of the type of support which might be available.

HOOP is very comprehensive and can take time to work through properly. It explores 8 different topics as follows:

• Topic 1: Size of the house and/or garden and concerns around storage and clutter
• Topic 2: Finances relating to rent, mortgage, utilities, transport, care, cleaning and gardening as well as home improvements
• Topic 3: Maintenance in the face of specific problems such as pests, repairs, damp, plumbing and drainage
• Topic 4: Design and comfort issues such as lighting, heating, décor, bathing, access and getting about
• Topic 5: Security and safety concerns such as fire risks, fall hazards, stairs, thieves and cold callers
• Topic 6: Location considerations such as proximity to relatives, friends and shops; neighbours and other aspects of the immediate environment such as parking, transport and feeling safe
• Topic 7: Managing to do all the daily tasks such as gardening, shopping, dressing, bathing, cleaning, shopping and maintenance
• Topic 8: Quality of life in relation to being able to keep a pet or connect with others, needing to rely on others or fearing eviction

The HOOP tool has been developed by a small charity EAC which also provides advice and information about housing options available to older people with links to some housing providers (this link to the site gives a full explanation of why those providers have been featured)