Better house design needed for aging population says charity

 

Northland will need to build at least 250 aged-friendly homes each year for the next 10 years if the needs of its increasingly elderly population are to be met, according to a housing charity.

Lifemark is part of the disability group CCS and works to make sure houses are well designed for people regardless of age or ability.

Just 2 per cent of the country’s new housing stock is likely to be designed to cater for people with mobility or disability issues, says Lifemark general manager Geoff Penrose.

Penrose has appealed for builders and architects – and the people who hire them – to recognise that a house can last for 50 or 100 years, and so needed to have its design future-proofed.

“The number of builders and developers creating homes that better serve our population is increasing, but it is still far too small,” says Penrose.

“In Northland, Lifemark certified 14 homes in the last year out of a total of 849 that were consented. That’s around 2 per cent.

“The homes we certify have safe, level access and incorporate features such as wider doorways, increased spaces, reachable power points and easy to use taps, window latches and light switches. That makes them safer and more liveable, which is great for all of us but particularly important as we age.”

Northland’s housing stock is largely poorly equipped to deal with its already ageing population, and the issue is set to intensify as one-in-seven people will be aged over 65 by 2026 – and over 50 per cent of them with some form of disability.

Sadly, many will find themselves in a living environment not designed to cater for them, resulting in a lower quality of living and, in some cases, household injuries.

In 2016, there were 360,000 ACC claims worth $435 million, due to falls in the home.

Lifemark homes are designed to prevent many of these injuries occurring. They incorporate intelligent design features such as improved lighting, non-slip surfaces in wet areas, better designed stairs and window latches to prevent injuries from slips, trips and falls.