GPSJ - SPRING 2025 - Flipbook - Page 20
GPSJ
NHS & HEALTHCARE
The ageing population crisis:
why housing reform cannot wait
Professor Glenda Cook, Director of the Better Living in Later Life Research Group
at Northumbria University and spokesperson for Stiltz Homelifts, issues a stark
warning: “Ignoring the housing needs of our ageing population is no longer an
option. Change is not only overdue - it is critical.”
Professor Glenda Cook
Britain faces a demographic time
bomb that demands immediate
and sustained action. Around
13 million citizens—nearly one in
昀椀ve—are aged 65 and over. By
2050, this proportion will rise to
one in four. Yet despite the scale
of this demographic shift, our
housing stock and community
infrastructure remain dangerously
ill-equipped to support an ageing
society.
At present, hundreds of
thousands of older adults face an
unacceptable choice: remain in
homes that no longer meet their
needs or leave behind familiar
surroundings for specialist
accommodation. Already,
440,000 individuals have
20
moved into care homes—many
reluctantly—raising a fundamental
question: Is this truly the best
solution Britain can o昀昀er?
The Health Secretary, the
Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, has
recognised this challenge,
pledging to strengthen
community-based care to
reduce reliance on hospitals and
residential homes. However,
achieving this vision requires
more than funding promises;
it necessitates a fundamental
rethinking of how government,
families, and communities
support older people’s right to
age in place.
The urgency is stark: only 9%
of UK homes meet the most
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SPRING 2025
basic accessibility standards.
Features such as level thresholds,
wider doorways, and accessible
bathrooms, which can
signi昀椀cantly prolong independent
living, remain rare. Under current
planning regulations, these
features are not mandatory for
new builds. Without decisive
policy intervention, this shortfall
will only deepen.
Why does this matter? For
older citizens, a home is not
merely a physical structure—it
is an anchor of identity, mental
well-being, and community
connection. Research shows
that over 40% of Britons see
their home as central to their
mental health, while 60% state
they would feel ‘devastated’
if forced to relocate. Losing a
familiar home often results in
severing social ties, with evidence
suggesting such disruption can
accelerate cognitive decline and
physical deterioration and drive
up both NHS and social care
costs.
The good news is that
solutions are available and
a昀昀ordable if implemented
proactively. Future-proo昀椀ng
homes—through adaptations
such as accessible bathrooms,
level access, and modern home
lifts—can be signi昀椀cantly less
costly than prolonged residential
care. However, awareness of
these options remains low, and
昀椀nancial support through the
Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is
insu昀케cient and overly restrictive.
Renters, in particular, face
serious barriers, often unable to
secure necessary adaptations.
To address this, urgent reforms
are needed. The government
must expand eligibility and
signi昀椀cantly increase funding
for grants that support
home adaptations, ensuring
interventions are proactive
rather than crisis-driven. New
housing developments should
be mandated to incorporate
age-friendly design features as
a standard requirement, aligning
with the government’s pledge to
deliver 1.5 million new homes.
It is also essential to support
private sector innovation and
raise public awareness about
the availability and bene昀椀ts of
adaptation technologies that can
extend independent living. In
parallel, e昀昀orts must strengthen
community infrastructure,
ensuring that older citizens
remain socially connected and
actively engaged within their local
communities.
This is not merely a matter
of individual well-being but a
national economic imperative.
Keeping older people healthy,
independent, and connected
reduces demands on health
and social care services
and strengthens community
resilience.
Britain cannot a昀昀ord
complacency. Ageing in place
must be recognised as a societal
priority, integral to public health
strategy, housing policy, and
community planning. Delivering
dignity, independence, and
respect for older citizens is not
just a moral obligation—it is a
necessity for a sustainable future.
The clock is ticking.
Policymakers must act decisively
to ensure that Britain is a country
where people can age with
con昀椀dence, security, and pride in
their communities.
