Most Australians want to grow old in their own homes. However, few homes are designed with retirement in mind. “As our population ages, the demand for accessible housing will increase,” said the Building Better Homes Campaign, which seeks to improve housing standards to better accommodate the needs for all Australians. “Over the next 40 years, the number of Australians with a mobility limitation due to disability is estimated to increase from 3 million to around 5.75 million.” Yet only 5% of new home builds comply with the voluntary Liveable Housing Guidelines, despite being in place since 2010. But change is on the way with more choices and a new construction code set to turn more homes into homes for life. Silver service A major change occurred earlier this year when Australian Building Ministers agreed to include mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code. “This is a major win for people with disability, seniors and all Australians. But not every state and territory has committed to implementing the new Code,” said the Building Better Homes Campaign. The 2020 RMIT report, Exploring the economic value embedded in housing built to universal design principles, asked more than 100 caregivers whether housing design impacted their capacity to provide care1 . The vast majority (88%) agreed overall, while 97% of informal care workers strongly agreed.

It also takes planning to maintain autonomy. While some people feel uncomfortable discussing their future need for care or acknowledging the impact of physical decline, starting the discussion early can avoid issues. A good time to start discussions is when people are beginning to consider retirement and have a reasonable asset base – often just after 50 years of age. “Surveys also show that some people have limited knowledge about retirement decisions, such as managing longevity, the cost of aged care, and the operation of various government policies,” the RMIT report said. “These uncertainties collectively can mean the family home can become a form of self-insurance even if it is not a suitable environment to age in.” It underlines the value of good advice to enjoy your retirement for as long as possible

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Liveable housing attributes 1 Dwelling access: A safe continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and/or parking area to a dwelling entrance that is level. 2 Dwelling entrance: There is at least 1 level, step-free entrance into the home 3 Direct and level entry from parking space to the house. Enter and exit the dwelling easily 4 Internal doors & corridors: Internal doors and corridors are wider than standard 5 Toilet: The ground level has a toilet with 1200 mm clear circulation space 6 Shower: Easy and independent access for occupants. Hobless, shower recess 7 Reinforcement of bathroom & toilet walls: Grabrails can be installed where needed. 8 Internal stairways: Continuous handrail on one side of the stairway 9 Kitchen space: Clearance in front of fixed benches and appliances 10 Laundry space: Ease of movement between fixed benches appliances 11 Bedroom space: There is a space on the ground (or entry) level that can be used as a bedroom with 1m a 1.5m clearance space 12 Switches and Power Points: Switches should be aligned to door handles and power points should be a minimum of 300m above floor 13 Door and tap hardware: Doorways should feature door hardware 900-1.2m above finished door 14 Tapware are easy to use with a lever mechanism 15 Family/living room space: There is enough free room to accommodate residents to move in and around the room with ease 16 Window sills are installed at a height that enables home occupants to view the outdoor space 17 Flooring: Floor coverings should be slip resistant