Abstract:

This paper aims to identify opportunities for strengthening links between policies for older persons' housing and policies for aged care, especially linking community care and housing. The paper presents a profile of the housing experience of older Australians; canvasses issues of housing affordability and the appropriateness of older people's housing to their needs and preferences; reviews trends in the provision of housing and services; identifies a number of critical changes that are required to further advance the development of a wide range of options for housing and assistance. A number of major themes recur throughout the background paper. The first is the need for policy to recognise the significance of housing for older people that stems from the contribution of home to their social and psychological well-being, as well as the impact of housing on physical and economic well-being. The second persisting theme is the conspicuous disadvantage of older people in private rental accommodation, notwithstanding the expansion of public rental housing for older people.