Age Better in Any Home: Extending Healthy Lifespan of Over 55's by Reducing Home Health Hazards

Episode 3 -  with Holly Holder;  The Senior Evidence Manager at Centre for Ageing Better. Today we extract the vital evidence, considerations and advice from Holly and her teams latest research looking specifically at the role housing plays in protecting the health of the UK, and how poor quality housing can create or worsen health conditions, reduce an occupants quality, cause poverty or even cause premature death.  

We discuss these human health risks in detail and outline how Property Professionals and Occupants can swiftly identify and adapt their homes to mitigate these risks.

If you know are over 55 or know anyone over the age of 55, this show is very important for you as the action points discussed can extend healthy lifespan.

SHOW NOTES:

Report - Home & Dry Report

Statistic - World Health Organisation Housing Health Determinants:

• "Structurally deficient housing increases the likelihood that people slip or fall, increasing the risk of injury.
• Poor accessibility to their home puts disabled and elderly people at risk of injury, stress and isolation.
• Housing that is insecure, sometimes due to affordability issues or weak security of tenure, is stressful.
• Housing that is difficult or expensive to heat contributes to poor respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes.
• High indoor temperatures can cause heat related illnesses and increase cardiovascular mortality.
• Indoor air pollution is connected to a wide range of non-communicable diseases, harms respiratory and cardiovascular health, and may trigger allergic and irritant reactions, such as asthma.
• Crowded housing increases the risk of exposure to infectious disease.
• Inadequate water supply and sanitation facilities affect food safety and personal hygiene, and therefore lead to the development of communicable diseases."

Statistic - Greatest Cause of Accidental Injury Related Deaths in the Home:

• The main cause of accidental injury related deaths amongst older people are falls in the home (NHS, 2019; World Health Organisation, 2007)
• The incidence of a Category 1 hazard is present in around half of all nondecent homes regardless of age. However, further analysis shows two major contributors – excess cold (the inability to heat a home to a comfortable level) and risk of falls. These two incidences account for 85% of all Category 1 hazards in households where the head of the household is over 55 years old.