Welcome to the Research and Policy section of the Churchill Retirement Living website. On this page you can keep up to date with current issues relating to retirement living, national research on older people and their housing needs and also monitor the progress of Churchill Retirement Living's ongoing university research projects. This page has been created with the help of Churchill’s in-house Planning and Design Consultancy, Planning Issues.
Background:
The rise in population of the older generation corresponds with the increase in birth rates following the end of WWII. This group of society has often been referred to as The Baby Boomer Generation and they are now entering their retirement years.
Throughout their lives, the baby boomers have pushed boundaries and raised living standards, often exceeding the accomplishments of their parents and benefitting from a more prosperous economy after the 1950s.
New Research:
Churchill Retirement Living has carried out an exciting research project with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University looking into areas affecting retirement living. We will keep you updated of developments on this page as the research progresses over the course of the next year.
The housing requirements for the baby boomer generation in older age may be different from their parents and Churchill Retirement Living recognises that the design of specialist retirement housing could need to change to satisfy this generation. This research will explore what the homes of older people could look like in the future. Exploring the housing needs of older people - towards typologies of design.
This fully funded Ph.D. studentship will assess the shift in the UK population to being a mature society - with a larger number of retired people than children. There is a significant research base that demonstrates that housing plays a very large part in maintaining older people’s quality of life. Some 20 years ago the range of housing choices available to older people was far more limited i.e. staying in their own home, moving to smaller mainstream accommodation, moving to sheltered housing or moving into nursing or residential care. In the last decade there has been a considerable expansion in the range of choices available, nevertheless it remains true that most older people do not move and those who do act in a time of crisis. If, as some research informs us, moving to specialist housing has a positive impact on older people and is beneficial for the country as a whole, then how can we tempt more older people households to move? Is there a need for a more imaginative approach to older people’s housing?
This research will explore the national need for older people’s housing and an opportunity to influence the design response to older people’s housing needs and aspirations.