Sarina Kiayani, Policy and External Affairs Manager at ARCO, the representative body for UK Integrated Retirement Communities, explains how housing with care can support independence, connection and prevention while easing pressure on health and social care.
For decades, we have treated housing and social care as separate entities.
Housing is where we live. Social care comes in as we age.
But for older people, the two can—and should—be intertwined. It has been proven repeatedly that where we live affects our health, independence and social connections, and ultimately whether we need care in the first place.
As more Baby Boomers enter later life, and pressure on the NHS and adult social care continues to mount, it is time to think seriously about the relationship between housing and social care and how bringing the two together could help address the challenges facing both.
Recent research by ARCO and the HomeOwners Alliance found that around half of UK homeowners would consider specialist housing for themselves in later life. More than half of those open to such housing believe there are not enough options available in their local area.
People are not resistant to new housing choices in later life. Current supply simply does not meet demand, particularly when compared with other high-income countries.
The research also found that the most attractive features of later-life housing included on-site support, access to healthcare and wellbeing services, guaranteed care if needed, and operators taking responsibility for maintenance and management.
This demonstrates that successful housing for older people is not really about housing alone. It is about creating places that support wellbeing, social connection and independence over the long term.
Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) are a modern form of housing with care, enabling older people to live independently while accessing the support and facilities they may need as they age.
These communities provide self-contained homes alongside communal facilities such as gyms, restaurants, bars and hairdressers, with CQC-registered personal care delivered to individual homes when needed.
Importantly, residents remain homeowners or tenants of their own properties. Too often, discussions about ageing focus on what happens when people become frail or require significant care. Yet most older people want to maintain their independence for as long as possible, which IRCs aim to facilitate.
The IRC model supports ageing well in several ways. Social activities, opportunities to build friendships, attractive communal spaces, exercise facilities and a sense of belonging can all contribute to a healthier and happier later life.
This directly combats loneliness, which has been linked to physical and mental health issues, including dementia. Housing models that actively foster connection, such as IRCs, can therefore play an important preventative role in healthcare.
In New Zealand, around 15% of over-75s now live in retirement villages. Growth was facilitated by specialist legislation, the Retirement Villages Act 2003, which helped double provision over two decades.
ARCO’s 2025 Blueprint New Zealand report examined what the UK could learn from that experience. It highlighted the importance of consumer choice, stronger provision and a much more established housing-with-care sector than currently exists in the UK.
Perhaps the biggest lesson from New Zealand’s success is that specialist housing should be viewed not as a consequence of ageing, but as part of the solution.
Too often, housing and health interventions in older age occur only after someone experiences a fall, develops complex health needs or reaches a crisis point.
A more preventative approach means creating environments that help people remain healthy, connected and independent before problems arise. This benefits individuals and their families, while also supporting health and care systems that are under increasing strain. It could help reduce hospital stays and delayed discharges, while easing demand on the NHS through the availability of on-site personal care services.
As the population ages and demand for services grows, prevention will become increasingly important. It has repeatedly been identified as a government priority, and IRCs have an essential role to play in that agenda.
When designing housing for later life, it is vital to think about what helps older people age well.
Independence? Community? Access to support? Opportunities to stay active?
These are not exclusively housing issues. Nor are they exclusively health or care issues.
They are fundamentally questions about place.
The challenge for policymakers, providers and developers is therefore not simply to build more homes, but to create environments that enable people to live the lives they want as they grow older.
The conversation about the future of care should not stop at people’s existing homes. It must expand outwards to consider how care, support and wellbeing facilities can be wrapped around their front doors.
