Retirement living during a pandemic

The coronavirus epidemic has thrown into sharp relief the way our society treats elderly people. Told to self-isolate in their own homes and shut themselves off from other people, the concern is not only the lack of physical support these older people might need, but also the massive change in the quality of their mental and social lifestyle.

The pandemic has arrived at a time when the UK’s ageing population is growing – the Office for National Statistics projects that more than 24 percent of people living in the UK will be aged 65 or older by 2042. At the same time, older people are particularly vulnerable to the current Coronavirus outbreak and may equally be at risk in future epidemic and pandemic scenarios. We therefore need to start having a conversation now about where and how people in the UK should live in later life. This is the theme of the latest blog by Urban Edge Architecture’s Senior Associate Director, Sonia Parol.

“How and where elderly people live has never before come under such intense scrutiny,” she writes “and when the current pandemic is over there will no doubt be many important lessons for the retirement living and care home sector to take away. However, we can be in absolutely no doubt that retirement villages, assisted living developments and extra later living communities have an essential role to play in providing the support the elderly need in such unsettling times, making sure that no one is forgotten or left on their own.”

You can read the full article here: https://www.urbanedgearchitecture.co.uk/all/retirement-living-during-a-pandemic/