Retirement housing rated by older people

Retirement housing schemes can be places that give residents the 'feel-good' factor. And last week's second annual EAC National Housing for Older People Awards – which celebrated good retirement housing schemes – underlined this by being a real 'feel-good' event.

Winning an award is obviously a great accolade for the scheme and the housing provider, but what really makes these awards special – and gives them added value and credibility - is that the schemes are nominated by the people who actually live there. This year around 400 retirement housing schemes were nominated by over 3500 residents. The large number of residents who attended the award ceremony, and their enthusiastic participation, showed that the nomination process was not just a tick-box exercise: people really 'rated' the retirement schemes they recommended for an award.

This year we were invited along to the awards as sponsors of the 'UK Best Rural Retirement Scheme' Award. Not only did we want to join in celebrating the many wonderful housing schemes around the UK but it also provided us with a great opportunity to highlight the array of JRF research on housing with care and rural living.

Here at the JRF we are in the fortunate position to be able to test our research evidence and demonstrate practical solutions through the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT). For example, Hartrigg Oaks in York, was the first continuing care retirement schemes in the UK.

JRF evidence built up over the years suggests that rural living offers many different opportunities but also challenges compared with urban life, including differences in the cost of living and the availability and affordability of housing – both of which are important issues for older people too.

Moving into a retirement scheme need not be the uniform 'prescription' for older people, but the schemes that offer options older people value are worth recognising. It makes economic sense to do so (yes, the much quoted 'downsizing'), but much more than that, it shows that the right choice of housing can make a positive contribution to older people's quality of life.