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Ageing

Ageing has been strongly linked with loneliness - more than 2.2 million people in England over 75 live alone, according to Age UK, which has increased by 24% from the last 20 years. 1.9 million older people feel ignored or invisible and 18% of older people said they feel lonely always or often.

The resources below contain information on the link between ageing and loneliness, highlighting some of the issues that older people face, as well as providing evidence of good practice, and studies on supporting older people in their homes and communities.

You are not alone in feeling lonely: Loneliness in later life

This report from Age UK presents new evidence about the scale of the loneliness challenge among people aged 65 and over, exploring why loneliness is harmful to older people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life and practical steps to mitigate against it.

Austerity, Ageism, and the Rhetoric of Self-reliance: The Policy Drivers and Socio-cultural Attitudes Contributing to the Loneliness Experienced by Older Residents in an Underprivileged Community in South Wales

This article, published in Social Policy and Society, presents research that explored loneliness in an underprivileged community, whose perspective supports a growing body of evidence that loneliness amongst older people is driven by wider structural and socio-cultural exclusion.

Lonely Nation: Ending loneliness among older people

This report from the Centre for Social Justice, in collaboration with Randal Charitable Foundation, shows that nearly 6 out of 10 of all adults feel lonely at least some of the time. Though finding that older people are the least lonely age cohort in the UK, where loneliness does exist, or in order to prevent it, they identify housing and digital exclusion as 2 of 6 challenges for government and policy makers, and make a series of recommendations.

Working together to tackle loneliness

This blog written by Sarah Mitton, Age Friendly Communities Manager at Clarion Futures, shares some of the ways in which Clarion is seeking to tackle this epidemic and inspire other housing providers to think about the role they can play in bettering the experience of our diverse communities.

Loneliness and the Built Environment: Towards Compassionate Places

In this new Housing LIN guest blog, Natasha Reid, founder at MATTER SPACE SOUL, reflects on developing new approaches to tackle loneliness through the built environment, including spatial design, placemaking policy and film. She asks “can compassion be built into the foundations of places as the new standard”?

Tips on how to reduce loneliness in later life

Loneliness for people in later life can be a real challenge on a daily basis. This 'how to' guide contains tips on how to look after your mental health when feeling lonely and how you can get involved in local and national initiatives to reduce loneliness.

Tackling loneliness

This briefing paper covers research into the prevalence, causes and impact of loneliness and possible interventions to address the issue.

COVID-19 and Social Exclusion: Experiences of older people living in areas of multiple deprivation

This paper reveals the challenged faced during the coronavirus pandemic by people aged 50 and over, especially those living in deprived areas.

What works in tackling social isolation of older people in Bangladeshi communities

This briefing shares learning and recommendations about working effectively and sensitively with small tight-knit ethnic minority communities, and about risks and protection factors for social isolation.

Promising Approaches Revisited: Effective action on loneliness in later life

This guide from the Campaign to End Loneliness provides a framework to help decision-makers address loneliness and explains how different approaches fit together to create effective community response.

Social connection in the COVID-19 crisis

This report from the APPG on Social Integration presents initial findings from part one of the Inquiry and is about understanding the issues and sharing good practice in relation to social connectedness.

An A-Z of organisations and websites on ageing, loneliness and social isolation: A Housing LIN Practice Briefing

This Housing LIN Practice Briefing presents a list of organisations and online resources that are aimed to provide information and additional support to those wanting to find out more about, or to access key services, around the issue of loneliness and isolation.

“What? That’s for Old People, that.” Home Adaptations, Ageing and Stigmatisation: A Qualitative Inquiry

This article in the International Journal of Environmental Health and Public Health by Northumbria University in partnership with Newcastle University and the Newcastle older persons’ forum draws on a Centre for Ageing Better commission.

Ageing Better: Working with older people to reduce social isolation and loneliness: A guide for Housing Associations

This short guide by Age Better in Sheffield, in partnership with South Yorkshire Housing Association, aims to set out practical evidence about what’s worked in reducing social isolation and loneliness amongst older people.

A design for later life – senior living and intergenerational communities

Our latest Housing LIN guest blog describes a new intergenerational living development in Manchester from Pozzoni Architecture.

Social Infrastructure: How shared spaces make communities work

This report from Ambition for Ageing argues that to reduce social isolation, we need a diversity of social infrastructure to ensure chance social encounters with a diversity of people.

Housing and Ageing Alliance publishes 2019 manifesto

Time for Action lists policy changes to better integrate housing, health, and social care.

Innovation@Home: Approaches to Successful Aging in Community from 25 Countries

This report explores innovative approaches to age-friendly housing and neighbourhoods

Active Ageing

Physical inactivity remains high among the UK's older population. This report from Anchor Hanover and Demos examines the benefits of activity, the costs of inactivity, and what can be done to encourage active ageing.

Understanding the risks and benefits of co-living housing models for older people.

A project from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research looking at co-housing for older people

A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action

This Scottish Government framework for action has been developed to challenge the inequalities older people face as they age and to celebrate older people in Scotland.

New Bristol University research looks at inclusion among older people.

A new research project in the School for Policy Studies at University of Bristol is looking at ways in which older people are made to feel included and valued in housing schemes with care and support services.

Housing and the older ethnic minority population in England

A new briefing from the Housing LIN and the Race Equality Foundation looking at access to housing for older BME people

Neighbourhoods of the Future - Better homes for older adults

This McCarthy & Stone and Agile Ageing Alliance paper examines the so-called housing 'crisis' facing the next generation of older adults. It suggests that although there is most definitely an urgent...

The Next Generation: How Intergenerational Interaction Improves Life Chances of Children and Young People

This report from United for All Ages shows how greater interaction between older and young people can help tackle crises facing children and young people and counter ageism in divided Britain.

A connected society: A strategy for tackling loneliness

This strategy sets out the approach to tackling loneliness in England.

Age, Home and Community: the Next Phase

Age, Home and Community – The Next Phase sets out the Scottish Government's approach to housing and older people.

Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older People

This new guide from EROSH seeks to demonstrate the role sheltered and retirement housing organisations play in preventing and addressing loneliness and social isolation.

Driving a new agenda for change in Housing for Older People: Lessons from Longbridge

The Housing LIN's Strategic Lead, Clare Skidmore, presents her thoughts on Longbridge ExtraCare retirement village in relation to the CLG Select Committee’s ‘Housing for Older People' inquiry.

Adding extra years to life and extra life to those years

This LGA guide gives examples as to how to improve health issues in later life. Provided alongside health suggestions are case studies from councils across the country, who are combatting these issues.

The Role of Technology in Combating Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Guide for Housing Providers

New research from Appello shows that technology offers a lifeline for older people at risk of social isolation and loneliness.

Take a seat: Nottingham’s campaign to create more age-friendly high streets

This report from Nottingham City Council's Age-Friendly Nottingham Partnership features 'Take a Seat', a campaign that aims to tackle social isolation for older people within the city.

Social Isolation in London

This report, prepared for Octavia by Ipsos Mori, presents findings from research on loneliness carried out on nearly 500 adults aged 15 and over in the Greater London area.

A Practice Primer on Mental Health in Older People

This summary of mental health problems in older people, which are not directly related to physical illness or brain disease, underlines the risk primary care professionals take when attributing symptoms to ‘old age’ or considering the patients’ situation as futile.

Our Housing AGEnda: Meeting the aspirations of older people in Wales

This report by the Welsh Government's Expert Group on Housing an Ageing Population is the result of a year-long examination of the issues and sets out a selection of recommendations to inform the Welsh...

Older people deserve accommodation that meets their needs and desires

The ILC-UK's report might come as a surprise to those that don't know much about the retirement village concept. For those of...

Growing Older Together: An Overview of Collaborative Forms of Housing for Older People

This Housing LIN Case Study Report shows how collaborative models of service delivery for older people are now being widely adopted in the heath and care sectors and suggests that housing could do more...

Active Ageing and the Built Environment

This Housing LIN Practice Briefing looks at active ageing and the different aspects of the built environment that can promote and sustain it, with examples of good and emerging practice and resources...

Insights into Loneliness, Older People and Well-being, 2015

This paper from the Office for National Statistics focuses on older people's well-being, loneliness and some of the risk factors associated with loneliness. Such as: living alone housing tenure marital...

NICE guidelines: Older people with social care needs and multiple long-term conditions

These latest guidelines from NICE emphasize the importance of empowering older people and their carers to choose and manage their own support. It makes recommendations about: identifying and assessing...

Village Life: Independence, Loneliness, and Quality of Life in Retirement Villages with Extra Care

This report by ILC-UK surveyed residents in retirement villages that offer extra care support to explore if: It can promote greater independence and provide greater choice in planning for later life...

Japan: Where grassroots support initiatives are growing in empty houses

Housing LIN Case Study no 105. Japan has the fastest ageing society where a significant 25% are now aged 65-plus, that means 1 in 4 of its 127 million population. Within a decade, it is envisaged that...

Improving later life. Vulnerability and resilience in older people

This new publication from Age UK is one in a series that explores some of the factors and experiences that make older people more susceptible to the risk of adverse outcomes in later life. With chapters...

What developments in the built environment will support the adaptation and 'future proofing' of homes and local neighbourhoods so that people can age well in place over the life course, stay safe and maintain independent lives?

This Foresight paper by Dr Judith Torrington examines how current housing stock and the built environment can meet the needs of an ageing population, and which changes to design could affect positive...

For future living: Innovative approaches to join up housing + health

This report from IPPR looks at how England's housing should respond to the pressures of an ageing population. The link between population ageing and increased health costs is well recognised, but the...

Housing America's Older Adults: Meeting the needs of an aging population

This report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University states that housing is the lynchpin of wellbeing. It recommends that State and local governments need to target locations where...

New approaches to housing for older people - Supporting organisations to pioneer new ways of working and review current and emerging practice

This new briefing from CIH and the Housing LIN looks at how models of bespoke housing for older people (often termed sheltered or retirement housing) could be developed in the future that: Enable increasing...

Integrated by Design

This is the third report by PRP Architects succinctly summarising the current provision and emerging trends in housing and care for older people in the United Kingdom, such as 'community hubs'. It highlights...

What role for extra care housing in a socially isolated landscape?

This Housing LIN report highlights five core elements of extra care housing that give older people fulfilling, socially-connected lives. They are: The ethos of extra care housing promotes the concept...

A strength-based approach to ageing well: the housing dimension

This Housing LIN Viewpoint no 30 explores how older people can be better linked with communities and suggests that the key is to be found in working with the strengths of individuals and communities,...

Housing an Ageing Population - The Extra Care Solution

This report by Tim Brown, Principal Lecturer, De Montfort University commissioned by Keepmoat and the Housing LIN, outlines the challenges and opportunities for Extra Care housing against the backdrop...