This year, Scottish Housing Day focuses on Homes for Life and we are encouraging people to think about how the housing sector can better support people in later life as needs and priorities change.

Our population is ageing faster in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, and as people grow older their housing needs can change. This might require some simple adaptations to make homes more accessible, technology to support day-to-day activities, or planning to move to a more suitable home that’s closer to family or local amenities, or easier to manage.

Age Scotland’s National Housing Survey 2023 survey found that:

  • 37 per cent of respondents didn’t think that their home would be suitable in the next ten years.
  • 20 per cent said they needed an adaptation to their home and over half of these had waited more than four months.

But we know that many people don’t think about their housing needs or plan for the future, and that it may not always be easy to find the right information and advice about housing or other support that’s available. This year, we want to encourage people to think about housing for people in later life as we facilitate a nationwide discussion on housing needs and how we can plan for the future – as individuals, communities, housing organisations and policy makers.