Caring for Older People: A Need for Services Toolkit

Introduction

We are facing unprecedented growth in the older population as the ‘baby boomer’ generation retires and improvements in health increase life expectancy dramatically. Coupled with the projected long-term effects of the obesity and diabetes crises, understanding the potential future need and demand for care and support has never been more important.

What can this Toolkit offer?

In this context, the ability to project future requirements for accommodation and services is central to the development of effective and fit-for-purpose strategies enabling older people to ‘live as independently as possible in homes that support good health and wellbeing’.

HGO and Housing Vision have developed this interactive Toolkit to assist in projecting and determining the future requirement for housing, health and social care services for older people by areas determined by the client.

Based on the most recent research and intelligence, this toolkit enables you to predict the likely need for formal and informal care and support for older needs groups by progressive levels of dependence for any area and any projected timescale.

How does it work?

As the toolkit already incorporates a sophisticated level of calculation, you only need to input  the number of people 65 and above for your choice of area. It is also possible to input the average household size for older people and the proportion who are likely to be able to access care informally.

The toolkit will immediately identify:

• the number of people with different levels of need, from ‘Universal’ to High Care’;
• the ‘Total Services Required’ in 10 categories of social care and housing, from ‘Advice Services’ to ‘Extra Care’, all expressed in terms of people, households and ‘Units of Care’;
• the budgetary implications - by identifying the costs implied in providing the levels of
  service identified, and taking account which care or support might be provided informally.

What does it look like?

Find out more

The Toolkit is invaluable for all those involved with planning the future requirements for housing and social care for older people for any defined area. Download the factsheet below for more information:

Housing Vision - HGO - Older People: Need for Housing and Socical Care Services Toolkit fact sheet

For more information, please contact johnconnell@housingvision.co.uk.