Blog: Finding your ideal home

To mark Scottish Housing Day we are highlighting future housing needs . The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have brought into sharper focus just how important it is that your home is a comfortable and safe place. But unfortunately, we know that this is not the case for many older people in Scotland who may find that their home needs repairs, adaptations or is too large for them as they get older.

Age Scotland published a report in June on the housing needs of Scotland’s older people. The report is based on a survey of over 1200 people aged over 55 and it really brings to light the scale of the task we have to improve Scotland’s housing stock and choice of home available for people as they get older.

You can read our report on our website: age.scot/housingreport2020

What did we hear in our survey responses?

There was a wide range of responses, from those who were happy with their homes and confident of their future there, to those who were uncertain whether their home would suit them if their needs changed in the future. It also became clear that those living with disabilities or on low incomes were much more likely to report considerable issues with their current home – which demonstrates a failing of the current system.

Our survey gave the option for open-ended responses, and here are some of the comments people submitted about their homes:

‘It’s quite remote. Bus services are being slashed. Heating is expensive, and maintenance of the property will be an issue in future. Will be very reliant on having a car in retirement'

‘I live upstairs in a block of 4. I do not need a second bedroom and cannot cope with the garden… I struggle with the stairs and stepping over into the bath to have a shower’

‘Needs insulation, new windows and damp proofing’

These comments show the range of issues that people have about their home and our report explores this in more detail.

So what do we do next?

It is clear that Scotland needs to build more single storey homes, homes that are close to local shops and amenities and homes that are more energy efficient and so less costly to keep warm.

With the Scottish Election on the horizon for next May, we really need to see concrete plans in party manifestoes on how the political parties think this can be achieved.

We need to see a greater choice of homes that enable people to live well as they get older and we need to be more ambitious about the quality of homes available in Scotland.

Our survey shows that a substantial number of older people are not sure that their homes will be suitable for them to live in when they get older. It is an issue that needs to be addressed and there is much work to be done.