What purpose do we serve?

If you live in Australia, are aged 55+, starting to consider your future housing options and how you can best prepare to stay put in your current home or other conventional housing, this is indeed YOUR blog.  If you are the adult children of parents in that position – this blog should also interest you.

The intended scope of this blog is anything and everything to do with “Housing Australia’s Seniors” – with an unashamed bias towards assisting Australia’s Seniors to “age in place”, by staying put in their own home forever.  As part of the “silver tsunami”, that’s what I am planning, and physically preparing to do.

Therefore, some of the topics that will hopefully initiate some healthy debate, and lead to a groundswell of consensus on what needs to be done by ourselves firstly, then all levels of Government, and commercial interests, include:-

·                            Australia’s best cities, and regional areas, for Senior living and Senior lifestyle benefits

·                            What defines age-friendly housing

·                            Home Modifications, Additions and Remodelling

·                            Home Maintenance

·                            In-home Care and Services

·                            Fitness, Flexibility and Health

·                            Security Checklists

·                            Fall Prevention

·                            Finance products to access home equity

·                            Seniors Job Opportunities

·                            Comparisons of Private Health Insurance coverage

·                            Shared living arrangements

·                            Compact homes and urban consolidation

·                            Demand for walkable communities

Here is the Executive Summary of a Special Report I compiled recently entitled “Housing Australia’s Seniors.  Prepare Now – Stay Put Forever”

Executive Summary

Starting in 2010, when the first of the Baby Boomers turn 65, until 2050, the average monthly increase in the number of Australians over 65, will be more than 20,000.  A major rural city’s population every month, for 40 years.

As demand for aged health and housing services increases, the tax paying resources to provide these services decrease.

With the exception of the very frail and care-dependent, Australian Seniors want, and need, to stay in their own home, or other conventional housing.

The traditional informal support networks provided by family and friends are being increasingly eroded.  Today’s Seniors, as parents, live further away from their adult children, than at any other time in history.

The opportunity we have, the challenge we must face, is to reimagine a more cost effective, holistically co-ordinated service delivery system for Australian Seniors’ health and housing needs.

Two major groups need to be stirred into action

·                            Firstly Federal and State Policy-makers and legislators who have historically connected the provision of aged care, with age restricted and assisted communities

·                            Secondly, commercial interests involved in the building of age-friendly conventional housing, the remodelling, additions and modifications to Seniors’ homes.

There is a competitive opportunity for the first State Government in Australia, which recognises the potential of providing age-friendly conventional housing.  Commercial thinking has centred on how many retirement villages can we build?  The obvious answer is “not enough”.

Because so much of the wealth of Australia’s Seniors has been accumulated via home equity,  our Seniors need to be reassured that any investment in age-friendly housing will represent a wise investment, as well as a lifestyle choice.

Residential real estate, is the largest single asset class held by households with heads aged 65+, but many are “house rich, cash poor”.

Australian Seniors need to consider the option of using home equity for the early interventions, which will avoid or at least delay, consideration of vastly more expensive and less appealing, nursing home care.

The financial product most often recommended to Seniors today is the Reverse Mortgage, which may be appropriate for the finance providers’ profit aspirations, but is not appropriate for most Seniors.

The twin issues of Seniors’ health and housing are intertwined in a circular relationship.  Good health leads to reduced need for housing modifications and age-friendly housing can avoid many of the health issues which may occur in less appropriate accommodation.

Home modifications are defined as major and minor adaptations to home environments that can make it safer and easier to carry out daily activities.

Major modifications include ramps, roll-in showers, lowered counter tops, widened doorways and stair lifts.

Minor modifications include grab bars, hand-held showers, and lever door handles and taps.

This Report has not attempted to address the situation of the many economically vulnerable Seniors – those who will require substantial welfare assistance.

The challenge of housing and health services for our 65+ population, is that, for the first and only time, all Baby Boomers, from the earliest to the latest, will be in the same life stage concurrently.

If you want the full 15 page Report, please follow this link and join our mailing list.

So...what topics do you think we should turn our attention to?  What concerns do you have?  What ideas have you implemented to improve your chances of staying in your own home forever?