Government urged to incentivise homes for an ageing population

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A new report from IMechE is calling on government to provide incentives for construction companies to build homes designed with older people in mind, a move that could ultimately reduce costs for taxpayers.

IMechE

The IMechE report, Healthy Homes: Accommodating an Ageing Population, also recommends that product suppliers and manufacturers step up efforts to develop retrofit technology to allow people to live in their homes for longer.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 18 per cent of the UK’s 65.6 million population is aged 65 and over, and 2.4 per cent aged 85 and over.

Many of these older adults downscale as they become less active, which can exacerbate mobility issues and the onset of frailty, resulting in higher risk of falls or injury.

According to the report, physical inactivity costs the NHS £10bn a year, with £2.5bn spent on care as a result of poor housing. Furthermore, allowing vulnerable people to remain in homes with significant hazards is costing the NHS nearly £414m per year in initial treatment costs.

Dr Helen Meese, lead author of the report and IMechE member, said: “About seven million UK homes are headed by someone aged over 65 years, who will undoubtedly need some form of assistive technology to help with everyday living, within the coming decade.

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