Causes of Delays during Housing Adaptation for Healthy Aging in the UK.

Wusi Zhou,Adekunle Oyegoke,Ming Sun

doi:10.3390/ijerph16020192

Abstract

Housing adaptation is a rehabilitation intervention that removes environmental barriers to help older people accommodate changing needs and age in place. In the UK, funding application for home adaptations to local authorities is subject to several procedural steps, including referral, allocation, assessment, funding and installation. The five stages need to complete in a sequential manner, often cause long delays. This study aims to investigate the timelines across these key stages of the adaptation process and examine the main causes of delays in current practice. A mixed-methods research strategy was employed. A questionnaire survey was first undertaken with all 378 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales; it was followed by 5 semi-structured interviews and 1 focus group meeting with selected service providers, and 2 case studies of service users. The results showed that the average length of time taken to complete the whole process is relatively long, with the longest waiting time being observed at the funding decision stage. Delays were found in each of the key stages. Main causes of delay include insufficient resources, lack of joint work, legal requirements, shortage of competent contractors and the client’s decisions. These issues need to be addressed in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future housing adaptation practice.

Highlights

This study is aimed at reviewing the timelines of the adaptation process in local authorities across the UK and examining the causes of delays in the current practice
As some local authorities introduced their own stages and some provided partial records, the information is presented under three categories, each of which describes different process patterns and timelines through the adaptation process
This study investigated the timelines for the delivery of housing adaptations in local authorities across the UK

Summary

Introduction

In their own houses and to remain engaged in the community [3,4] Behind this desire lies a strong attachment to the home, which keeps people busy and active, shields privacy and freedom, and boosts sense of identity and self-esteem [5,6]. When health deteriorates and mobility reduces, older people can remove obstacles by adapting their houses to manage daily activities at home and participate in social life [10,11]. Both physical activity and social participation have important implications for healthy aging [12]

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