ANP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
The cabinet wants to persuade the elderly to move to smaller houses more suitable for their age. To this end, 290,000 new homes for this target group must be built by 2030. These are the so-called “zero step houses” without thresholds or stairs, courtyards for the elderly with many social contacts and houses where people with dementia, for example, can receive nursing care.
Ministers De Jonge for housing and spatial planning and Helder for long-term care have presented a comprehensive plan to encourage the transition of older people to smaller homes. “Because if an older person leaves a single-family home, it offers space for a family to move in there,” says De Jonge. “And that in turn creates an open spot for an appetizer.”
The need for aging-resistant housing forms will become increasingly urgent in the coming years, the ministers say. There are now still 3.5 million Dutch people over the age of 65, which will rise to 4.8 million in 2040.
Older people are not jumping
The problem is that the elderly are generally not eager to move. After their children are gone, they love to continue living in their familiar owner-occupied home, the mortgage on which is usually largely paid off. They don’t feel like leaving their old neighborhood and often there isn’t a suitable and affordable apartment in the area.
Research shows that only 17% of seniors are currently thinking about relocating. This makes quite a job for the closet to adjust to the desired flow. However, De Jonge and Helder believe moving to a more suitable home could be made more attractive.
Nursing home too expensive
At present, older adults often only leave when living at home is no longer an option, despite extensive home care and informal care. A nursing home is often the only option. But the cabinet wants to avoid elderly people ending up in such a retirement home as much as possible. This costs the government too much money and will also be understaffed in the future, ministers predict.
That’s why there are no structural additions to nursing home locations. Capacity in those institutions remains constant at 130,000, and those places are only for people in very serious need of care.
The goal is to build 40,000 group homes for people who don’t need the most serious care. Half of this is for older adults with dementia. They live there independently, but in an extended complex that has been adapted for people with the condition.
For example, there are blackout curtains for the day-night rhythm, doors and rooms are clearly recognizable and there is a lot of attention to safety. Life and care are “financially separate”. This means that residents simply pay rent and receive intensive care from outside the development.
Coaches on the go
A major information campaign will be launched to encourage as many elderly people as possible to voluntarily move to a more suitable home. Special transfer coaches and senior brokers are employed to point out the benefits to people.
The living environment of the elderly is also addressed. The neighborhood must be accessible, there must be sufficient facilities close to the home, and the environment must invite exercise and gatherings as planned.
