Too many older people live in poor housing, claims charity

Too many older people are living in poor quality housing and lack choices over where they can live, a Help the Aged report published yesterday has claimed.

There are problems facing older people in all forms of tenure, and regeneration and housing development programmes are failing to take account of older people’s needs, in terms of access and adaptability, the report finds.

It says public funding for owner occupiers, who make up the majority of older households, has declined, with owners living on their own or in households with someone over 70 most at risk of substandard housing.

Those in private rented accommodation are “disproportionately” at risk of poor quality housing while the “vast majority” of older homeless people are “trapped” in temporary accommodation.

While three-quarters of people would want to stay in their own homes should they become disabled, access to funding for adaptations is limited.

But choices for people who want to move are also limited, with declining numbers of care home places and insufficient investment in extra care housing.

The report calls for councils to be able to licence private landlords in areas where older people are at risk of poor housing, for all regional and local housing strategies to specifically assess older people’s needs and more resources for home improvement agencies.