August 23, 2018 by CallisonRTKL

It’s Time We Redefined Senior Housing in The UK

Compared with young professionals, the Baby Boomer generation is relatively unburdened by familial and work obligations. Its members are more likely than the young to have control over both their time and finances. According to the Office for National Statistics, they are increasingly eager to enjoy life to the full, seek ever more productive ways to spend their time, and place value on meeting and interacting with others. So why aren’t we providing them with the housing choices that reflect those qualities?

In recent years, our emerging build-to-rent sector has proven that high-quality, purpose-built housing with hospitality-level service can offer new levels of flexibility, community, and convenience to residents who choose it. To date, however, build-to-rent has almost entirely targeted young professionals in their 20s and 30s by offering an alternative to increasingly elusive home ownership in city locations. Given the trend that older people are equally, if not more likely than the young to enjoy freedom and seek choice in their later years, it is high time we developed and designed rental housing specifically for that age group.

Senior living as it currently stands in the UK seems to make one of two assumptions: that people over 60 want to stay in their homes until they are too infirm to do so, or that they seek retirement communities that look luxurious but operate on a “managed decline” model. At the same time, AgeUK reports that half a million people over 60 spend each day in complete solitude, an epidemic that increases the likelihood of conditions like dementia, heart disease and stroke. What about the population of older people who want to make a lifestyle move, rather than a crisis health decision? For this cohort, rather than provide housing centred around traditional care, we should be putting social interaction and community at the core of residential development, offering vibrant, enriching, multi-generational places that favour holistic wellbeing.

Whether they are lock-and-leavers seeking the ability to travel with ease, or downsizers who want convenience in a low-maintenance environment, older residents today seek lifestyles that can in many ways be better met by rental than home ownership. Rather than providing a dedicated care home or senior facility, build-to-rent residential can be integrated into and capitalise on the offering of existing places, providing strong community identity, walkability and shared amenities that can be accessed by people of all ages. By offering both security and privacy, and access to local attractions and transport, build-to-rent can help people as they age to achieve the independence and safety they seek without compromising on engagement with people and activities.

At the same time, services in build-to-let facilities can be overlaid to enable residents to age in place. For people seeking holistic wellness, spa and pastoral services can be provided. For those who require extra help around the home, managed rental housing can provide handyman services and other in-home occasional care provision. Residents can opt-in to services that will suit their needs, such as in-home cooking, grocery delivery, cleaning, and package-to-door delivery. Landscaped green spaces and well-maintained communal spaces can improve quality of life.

Offering our Baby Boomer generation a genuine and life affirming alternative to isolated living conditions is critical to the health of our society. Build-to-rent could be that alternative, and it would also free up existing housing stock to address broader housing shortages. As developers and designers, we should be looking beyond young professionals and exploring rental as a vital tool in meeting the needs of people over 60.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.