Ageing

CONTEXT

Demographic projections indicate an intensification of the population’s ageing process. The aged tend to live alone and are mainly women, as they have a longer life expectancy than men. At the same time, households headed by an elderly person (over 65) tend to have lower annual incomes, making it more difficult to maintain their homes.

Ageing is not a problem in and of itself, but it may come with a series of changes in people that may lead to limitations on the development of their usual activity. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent these changes resulting in health problems due to the characteristics of the homes and buildings where these people live.

In relation to housing, ageing may have four associated basic problems that could have health consequences:

Difficulties paying for the home. These are mainly due to the reduction of the household’s income. Currently, this situation affects fewer cohabitation units thanks to the implementation of rent contracts with compulsory extensions, which have managed to keep rental prices affordable. Notwithstanding, there are problems concerning homes with rental contracts governed by the current Law on Urban Leasing, in addition to homes that despite having compulsory extension contracts are subjected to harassment on the part of landlords trying to terminate these contracts (see 5.1.3 Landlord Harassment). Additionally, payment difficulties may also affect many people due to the death of the person with whom they share their home.
The deficient conservation of buildings. The reduction of the household’s income, in addition to difficulties regarding renovations and home improvements, may lead to deterioration and the appearance and non-resolution of various conditions like damp, uncontrolled heat exchanges and poor health conditions.
The lack of accessibility of buildings and homes. Accessibility problems become worse as the residents age and may make it impossible for them to leave their homes. Additionally, the resolution of this problem is at odds with the reduction of the household’s income and the residents’ reduced capacity to carry out complex interventions in the building.
The home is not adapted to the needs of its residents, due to its size, type, etc.

All these problems lead to a wide variety of health problems that are exacerbated in the elderly, as they are especially vulnerable. The main health problems that may be triggered are as follows:

Increase in obesity and overweight and cardiovascular diseases due to living in properties without a lift and not being able to go outside into the street.
Increase in mental health problems related to isolation, like anxiety and depression due to living in properties without a lift and not being able to go outside into the street.
Increase in accidental injuries and deaths due to living in homes not adapted to the residents’ physical conditions.
Increase in mortality associated with heat waves or cold spells due to living in old buildings in poor conditions without suitable resources or thermal insulation or artificial heating and cooling systems.

OBJECTIVE

Guarantee the adaptability of homes to the physical conditions of the elderly.
Foster the renovation of homes to improve accessibility conditions and the thermal conditions of the interiors of buildings and homes.
Monitor property speculation and landlord harassment.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for users

To ensure that the home is in suitable conditions during old age, it is important to previously make the necessary adaptations, given that subsequently the household’s income tends to be lower.

The main improvements to make are:

General actions. Install plugs and lighting connections, widen doors, change door swings, install small ramps where there are steps, install electric heaters.
Bathroom adaptation. Replace the bath with a shower, change the taps, replace the toilet and sink, inclined mirror, removal of bidet.
Kitchen adaptation. Replacement of the gas hob with an electric hob, change the taps, strengthen the lighting in work areas.

Proposals and recommendations for the administration

Housing improvement

Foster aid for cohesion that makes it possible in the case of limited resources for the council to meet the expense. This aid must be able to supplement existing aid for home improvement to cover 100% of the intervention.
Foster aid for interior repairs to address accessibility and habitability deficiencies.
Disseminate existing aid for home improvement to this population.

Provision of housing services

Facilitate services for the elderly so they can continue to live in their homes and not have to move to retirement homes or housing that contains such facilities. This could start with facilitating services like hairdressing, nursing care, help with shopping, etc.

Fostering home-sharing programmes

The possibility of sharing a home could be the answer for both elderly people living alone and in need of company and people who need to supplement their income to be able to pay the rent. Various home-sharing programmes may be established:

Intergenerational programmes for the elderly to share their homes with young students.
Programmes for the elderly and their carers.
Programmes established between two elderly people to complement each other’s basic needs.

Availability of new housing and residential spaces

Generation of homes with services for the elderly that facilitate autonomy based on a series of common services.
Foster exchanges: exchange non-adapted homes (no lift) with adapted homes (with a lift and no architectural barriers).
Foster multifunctional apartment buildings (mixing residential use with other more productive uses, either on the ground floor or on other floors) and apartment buildings with homes of different sizes and characteristics.
Foster housing cooperatives with transfer of use for the elderly (senior cooperative housing), combining small homes with common services.
Foster other residential options for the elderly: day centres, old people’s homes, assisted living facilities.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

Programa de rehabilitació i adaptació funcional (arranjament) d´Habitatges per a persones grans. (2009-2015). Diputació de Barcelona. Programa que neix amb l’objectiu de facilitar reformes bàsiques als habitatges de les persones grans més vulnerables per tal de garantir les condicions de seguretat, higiene i habitabilitat mínimes, afavorint l’accessibilitat i les condicions de vida de la persona dins de la seva llar. Es tracta per tant, de petites reformes imprescindibles perquè la persona gaudeixi d’autonomia i qualitat de vida en el seu domicili.
Habitatges amb serveis per a gent gran l’Institut Municipal de l'Habitatge i la Rehabilitació de Barcelona (IMHAB). Ajuntament de Barcelona. Promoció d’apartaments amb serveis per a la gent gran que es componen d´un conjunt d´habitatges d´una mitjana de 40 m2 útils, amb serveis comuns que ofereixen un servei alternatiu a persones grans que disposen d´autonomia personal.
- Promoció de 32 habitatges amb serveis per a gent gran, IMHAB. Promoció d’habitatges per a gent gran guanyadora del Premi Endesa a la Promoció Residencial més Sostenible 2011. Barcelona.
- Torre Júlia – Nou Barris, Barcelona. Promoció de 77 habitatges amb serveis per a gent gran, promoguda per l’IMHAB.
Programa de convivencia intergeneracional - Ajuntament de León. Programa Intergeneracional entre gent gran i estudiants, que dona resposta a les necessitats d’habitatge dels estudiants durant el curs acadèmic, afavorint la permanència de la gent gran del seu entorn.
Projecte Teixim Barri. Ajuntament de Barcelona, Fundació Família i Benestar Social, Fundació Hàbitat 3, Impulsem, La Boqueria Arquitectes. Projecte a través del qual sis persones grans amb pocs recursos podran accedir a un habitatge de lloguer a un preu accessible. Els tres pisos del projecte han estat cedits per un particular durant 10 anys per a ús social. A canvi, aquests habitatges han de ser rehabilitats.
La Muralleta (cohabitatge sènior). Cooperativa d’habitatges en cessió d’ús situada al municipi de Santa Oliva, constituïda per persones madures amb la voluntat de desenvolupar un projecte autogestionat. El projecte compta amb 15 habitatges i instal·lacions comunitàries que responen a criteris de sostenibilitat ambiental i estalvi energètic. L’objectiu és poder comptar amb serveis similars a una residència en el moment en què les persones sòcies ho necessitin
Un projecte referent del cohabitatge sènior a l’estat espanyol és la cooperativa Trabensol.

LEGISLATION

Llei 18/2007 de 28 de desembre, del Dret a l'Habitatge a Catalunya, modificada per la Llei 9/2011, del 29 de desembre, de promoció de l'activitat econòmica.
Decret 75/2014, de 27 de maig, del Pla per al dret de l'habitatge.
Llei 24/2015, del 29 de juliol, de mesures urgents per a afrontar l'emergència en l'àmbit de l'habitatge i la pobresa energètica.
Decret legislatiu 1/2010, de 3 d'agost, pel qual s'aprova el Text refós de la Llei d'urbanisme de Catalunya.
Decret 305/2006, de 18 de juliol, pel qual s'aprova el Reglament de la Llei d'urbanisme de Catalunya.
La Llei 39/2006, de 14 de desembre, de Promoció de l´Autonomia Personal i Atenció a les persones en situació de Dependència, la Llei catalana 12/2007, d´11 d´octubre, de Serveis Socials y la Llei 13/2014, de 30 d´Octubre, d´accessibilitat, Impulsen mesures orientades a afavorir que les persones grans puguin viure a la seva llar el màxim temps i amb les millors condicions possibles d´habitabilitat i accessibilitat.