Designing Age-Friendly Housing for a Healthier, Connected Future
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Article Summary
- Australia’s current housing stock is failing to meet the physical, social, and emotional needs of an ageing population, with inadequate insulation, poor accessibility, and limited community connection putting older people at risk.
- Ageing in place is the strong preference for most older Australians, yet many homes remain unsuitable for changing mobility, cognition, or energy needs, highlighting the need for fit-for-purpose design and aged care policy reform.
- Older women, First Nations Elders, gig workers, and those living alone face compounded housing insecurity due to systemic inequities, making inclusive, culturally attuned and co-designed housing solutions essential for equity and dignity in ageing
By Alexi Freeman
As the popular Australian song goes… “give me a home among the gum trees.” But for many older Australians, ageing well at home leaves much to be desired.
Ageing gracefully calls for secure housing designed with empathy, foresight, and human connection.
Amid a national housing crisis, inadequate, inaccessible, and isolating living conditions are failing our older population.
Currently, one in six Australians are over 65. By 2066, it is projected to be one in four. Presently, housing stocks remain largely unsuited to ageing in place.
Barriers like poor accessibility, inefficient insulation, and limited social infrastructure compromise wellbeing and independence.
It is time we rethink how to design and retrofit homes to support ageing with comfort, dignity and connection. Housing must provide more than shelter – it must also offer support.
An Ageing Nation with Inadequate Housing
When homes lack thermal stability, accessibility or community connection, physical and mental health risks rise sharply. These shortcomings inadvertently contribute to falls, social isolation and premature entry into residential aged care.
The Victorian Government’s Ageing Well Action Plan 2022–2026 acknowledges the need for seniors to “connect socially and to live healthy, active, and purposeful lives.” Delivering on this vision requires a paradigm shift in how we design, regulate and fund housing support for older people.
Results of a study published in Energy Research & Social Science, estimated that 81% of Australian homes fell below the World Health Organisation’s minimum recommendation of 18°C. The average was just 16.5°C – chillier than homes in Finland and Greenland.
Low indoor temperatures are more than uncomfortable – they contribute to rising damp and mould, exacerbating respiratory and cardiovascular problems. And in a warming climate, soaring summer temperatures bring equally dire health consequences for older generations living in housing with poor thermal efficiency.
Implementing empathetic design interventions like quality insulation, effective heating and cooling systems, and reducing the use of low volatile organic compound materials can dramatically improve health and wellbeing.
Why Ageing in Place Matters
Most older Australians want to age in place. But the current housing system rarely supports that aspiration into our twilight years. Many homes are ill-equipped to support mobility, cognition or energy level changes.
National Seniors Australia advocates for aged-care policy changes, such as allowing people to downsize without losing pension benefits, including adaptable design in the National Construction Code, and expanding stamp duty concessions for seniors relocating to age-friendly housing.
Fit-for-purpose design interventions – step-free accessibility, wider hallways, reinforced bathroom fittings, and visual contrast for low vision – can extend the timeframe and quality of independent living. Shared gardens, communal areas, and connected circulation spaces help mitigate loneliness.
Reducing long wait times for home care packages is also critical. Significant delays can mean the difference between ageing in place or entering institutional care, often with detrimental impacts on cognitive and emotional wellbeing.
Intersecting Inequities: Who is Most at Risk?
Not all older Australians have a level playing field. Housing insecurity is compounded by gender, culture, vocation, geography and relationship status.
Women retire with 25% less superannuation than men. “A key reason for the retirement savings gender gap is women taking time out of the workforce, or working reduced hours, to have and raise children,” said Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Deputy CEO Glen McCrea.
He advocates that superannuation applies to paid parental leave, including the Federal Government’s PPL scheme.
“The gendered nature of superannuation shortfalls raises serious questions about fairness, financial equity, and how we can better prepare women for their post-working years,” said Natalie Peng, lecturer at the University of Queensland Business School.
This superannuation disparity, combined with the longitudinal impacts of the glass ceiling and the ongoing impact of domestic violence, has led to women over 55 emerging as a demographic at heightened risk of experiencing home insecurity and homelessness.
Independent contractors are also vulnerable – especially in light of the meteoric rise of gig economy workers – typically retiring with less super and fewer entitlements than PAYG workers.
First Nations Elders face even more disproportionate risks, shaped by systemic disadvantage and a lack of culturally appropriate housing options. Around 20% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience homelessness – a figure tied to intergenerational trauma, historical displacement, and ongoing discrimination.
Many older First Nations people live in remote or regional areas with little access to health care or aged services. Language barriers and disconnection from Country add further complexity. Designing homes in consultation with communities – rather than for them – is essential to support older Indigenous peoples to age with dignity, culture, and care.
Older adults who live alone, particularly those who are widowed or unpartnered, also face increased risks of social isolation and homelessness.
Designing age-friendly housing must be intersectional – sensitively attuned to the evolving physical, social, cultural, gendered and economic realities of ageing.
The Future is Us
Australia’s ageing population is more than a looming crisis – it is an opportunity to legislate and design more inclusive, resilient and humane housing.
Co-design is key – where older people are engaged as stakeholders in shaping their homes and communities – in consultation between policymakers, architects, civic planners and allied health to create flexible, supportive and future-ready living environments.
Safe, cosy and connected homes are not a luxury. They are fundamental for public health, economic security, and social inclusion in an ageing society.
The National Council on Ageing states “The time to act is now,” – and they are spot on. How we house and care for our elders reflects our humanity.
Together, through active listening hand in hand with thoughtful policy and design, we can facilitate more Australians ageing not only in place but in leading more comfortable, connected, and meaningful lives.
