New report finds only one third of older Australians have made home modifications.

Published 3rd June 2026

A new report by  Benetas titled  Ageing in Place: An Australian Perspective has been released. The team surveyed 2,250 Australians  aged 55 and over. They found that out of those aged 65 and older, only one third have made home modifications as art of their preparations for aging.

Sandra Hills said of the research “we wanted to explore what Australians actually know, feel, and do when it comes to preparing to live independently at home as they age”.

A new Ageing in Place Readiness Index, is introduced in the report. It is intended to help measure and benchmark various aspects of ageing at home such as: preparedness, knowledge of services and systems, attitudes toward ageing and support, as well as confidence in maintaining independence and technology use and awareness.

The report found that “although the large majority of older Australians feel positive and confident about ageing at home, a lack of knowledge and planning is undermining that goal.”

You can find the report here: https://www.benetas.com.au/news/australians-positive-and-confident-about-ageing-at-home-but-knowledge-and-planning-gap-remains

Source:
Katarina Lloyd Jones, 2026, https://communitycarereview.com.au (https://communitycarereview.com.au/2026/05/28/seniors-fail-to-act-on-plans-to-age-in-place/)