Make right moves for happy home as you age
THE importance of getting in early when it comes to setting your house up to help ensure safety as you age has been highlighted in a research report released by the Global Centre for Modern Ageing this month.
The GCMA’s Ageing in the Right Place report found that while older Australians’ desire to remain living at home increases with age, the majority of people surveyed had not done enough to modify their properties, creating a risk they would be forced to make unwanted accommodation decisions under duress.
The report found that despite wanting to stay at home, only 17 per cent of the older Australians surveyed thought their home would require repairs or modifications to enable them to do so.
Even among those experiencing difficulties at home, only 40 per cent of respondents acknowledged the need for home modifications.
GCMA research director Stuart Smith said: “Research revealed that almost twothirds of those aged 75-plus think they will stay in their home, which is double that of the youngest cohort surveyed (55–64 years)”.
“Helping people to remain independently in their homes is increasingly important, however, we know that this may not always be possible, so it is also critical to understand how ‘home’ can be created in any place of residence,” he said.
Drawing on the Ageing in the Right Place research, the GCMA has created a House-Home-Haven framework, which explores how physical houses can be transformed into haven-like environments.
The research identifies seven distinct needs that determine the ‘right’ place for people as their circumstances change.
The seven needs of the ‘right’ place identified are: choice, safety, comfort, access, independence, connection, and happiness.
Dr Smith said the House-Home-Haven framework could serve as a guide for individuals and families and could also help the industry to take a more client-centric approach when developing commercially viable homes, retirement villages and aged care facilities that enabled quality living and improved world standards.
He said as aged care providers addressed the need for reform in the wake of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Ageing in the Right Place research and the House-Home-Haven framework would provide a helpful insight.
For a copy of the Ageing in the Right Place report, visit www.gcma.net.au.