Housing and ageing: linking strategy to future delivery for Scotland

This report showcases new research produced by the University of Stirling and Heriot-Watt University.

In May 2018, a series of events were held with practitioners, older adults and policy makers from diverse areas of Scotland, England and Wales that share similar housing and ageing issues.The goal was to create a set of co-designed recommendations for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, which would identify specific priorities and recommendations for the housing and ageing agenda – as a driver to get housing ready for the increasing future generations of older people. We must act now if we are going to meet the housing needs of
future generations by 2030.

The programme shared possible practice between Scotland, England and Wales, and recommendations that were developed by advisory groups within each jurisdiction. Event participants shared their knowledge, analysed policy challenges and priorities, sought to understand how policy is experienced by older people, and discussed what we can do to prepare for 2030.

They also played a Serious Game, where they explored the potential long-term impacts of different policies, to help examine the issues we face and decide what to do
about them.

Headline Recommendations
Over 200 people from Scotland, England and Wales were involved in gathering these insights and cocreating the recommendations. The unequivocal focus and conclusion of the Housing and Ageing programme was the recommendation to: ‘Place housing at the heart of service integration’

Housing must be an integrated element within an ageing society, where we start with a personand family-centred approach, involving inclusive communities and holistic thinking. Housing should be at the centre of attempts to support older adults, not on the edges, which is how the current situation is often perceived within health and social care integration.
Secondary linked recommendations from the Housing and Ageing programme were:

  • Invest in early intervention and prevention within the home and community
  • Achieve meaningful coproduction/co-working and consultation with older people
  • Focus on accessible information and advice for older people living in urban and rural communities
  • Build new suitable housing, such as intergenerational and lifetime homes that are adaptable, flexible, inclusive and affordable across all tenures.

Read the full report below.