Age and Ageing 1996:25:398-401 Is the Typical Modern House Designed for Future Adaptation for Disabled Older People?

Independence in their own homes is desirable for most people but illness and disability in later life may make this impossible unless aids are provided and adaptations made to the home. The cost of these changes may be high. The most recent proposals for revision of the United Kingdom Building Regulations include provision for making all new homes adaptable so that occupants who become disabled may continue living in them. A letter was sent to the largest British house-building companies to assess the extent to which their homes are capable of easy modification in the future. This was followed by a telephone survey of non-respondents. The response rate overall was 88 % with 49 % providing written replies. Only 3 % of companies had designed and built adaptable housing; these are still at the trial stage. Many companies will modify houses if requested to do so in the construction phase but demand for such alterations is low. Most companies accept that houses can be adaptable but economic reasons largely prevent them from doing so. Adaptable housing for those seeking 'homes for life' is not a high priority of building companies