Suitable Housing - Shortage For Ageing Population

There has been extensive commentary on the impact of New Zealand’s ageing population on the likes of the health system and insurance sector.

However, it’s in our country’s homes where the ageing population will face the biggest challenge and for some a painful struggle in the years to come.

There is already a huge cost involved in ensuring those disabled by age can stay in their homes through government-funded alterations or support services, and considering our ageing population, this is set to double over the next 20 years. Given our Government is speaking very clearly about the need to reduce spending, I expect to see a crisis emerge in housing for older people within the next decade.

Indeed, very soon we will start to see major issues arise over where elderly people live and how they are supported. A key factor will be generational expectations as baby boomers and Generations X and Y move into their golden years safely.

These assertive and independent people seek to live as “young” as possible for as long as possible and, unlike my mother, they will not make do with living in a house where the stairways are too steep to use safely, or where the taps cause pain in her wrists every time she uses one.

Indeed, generational expectations will become a key driver for changing the way houses are built and how transport and workplaces are organised. What’s more, these people will be loud and articulate about what they expect.

Lifemark, the independent seal of approval for housing, is addressing this shortage of suitable housing for our ageing population.

It provides the perfect fit for these changing expectations as Lifemark supports a lifetime of independence in one’s own environment.

No more are people forced to leave because the stairs are so steep they cannot climb them carrying the laundry, or using a walker or if their partner needs a wheelchair and the doorways aren't wide enough.

But what else is New Zealand doing to address this emerging crisis? Certainly, government is concerned about the booming cost of an ageing population on the health sector with a strong focus on making savings.  And, as a country, we are talking about other key issues to do with ageing such as personal rights, employment and vulnerabilities such as elderly abuse. These are important conversations.

The challenge for us all, including government is how we prioritise housing for older people right now, despite all the other calls on our time and resources, in order to avoid the crisis that is easy to see coming. There has been much said about affordable housing and this is also an important conversation. New Zealand houses have to be both affordable and usable for the range of people who live in them.
This is a challenge that the community sector is taking on – take The Salvation Army for example, they currently building rental housing for over 55 year olds on low incomes based on their analysis that shows this is going to be a big social need over the next 25 years. 

Community action is entirely appropriate, but government also has a responsibility to act - not only as it forms 20% of the economy, but because if we think together, if we take a collaborative approach, then we will come up with a more powerful solution.

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