Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 31 October 2012
31 Oct 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Vivarium Trust (Co-housing for Older People)
I congratulate Rod Campbell on securing this debate and thank him for drawing wider attention to the work of the Vivarium Trust to publicise and develop co-housing for older people. I also welcome the members of the trust who are observing the debate from the public gallery.
The motion gives me the opportunity to highlight the benefits of co-housing in enabling older people to live independently in a community with mutual support and control. It also allows me to set out the Government's wider work on housing and support for older people, to which Vivarium's work contributes.?
“Age, Home And Community: A Strategy For Housing For Scotland's Older People: 2012-2021” contains our 10-year strategy for housing for Scotland's older people and was published last December. We were delighted to be able to include as a case study the work of the Vivarium Trust to develop co-housing in Scotland.
We have heard from Fiona McLeod and Alex Johnstone about the challenge of the ageing population. It is forecast that the number of people who are aged 75 and over will increase by 82 per cent by 2035.
It is also important to note that, as was mentioned, the Vivarium Trust is thinking about people who are aged 50 and over. Perhaps we should be thinking about the issue before it is too late.
We heard from Clare Adamson about the importance of people being involved in the project from start to finish. That is an important issue for me. In my short time as Minister for Housing and Welfare, I have found, when I am going around housing associations and new developments, that the ones that have involved the tenants and the community are the most successful and are comfortable places to be, even upon arrival. That is what we get from what is being proposed by the Vivarium Trust. Who knows better what is required in design of homes than those who will live in them? As Clare Adamson said, we should be thinking about that in relation to all our housing.
We also continue to face tough economic conditions, with real-terms reductions in the Scottish budget of more than 11 per cent over four years—a loss of more than £3 billion, which is not insubstantial. It is therefore vital that we have the right housing support for older people. Our getting that right will enhance people’s quality of life and their wellbeing. It will also make better use of our resources by reducing the number of falls and other accidents in the home, and consequently the number of emergency hospital admissions.
Our national strategy for housing for older people is built around four themes that are exemplified in the co-housing model. Those themes are: older people as an asset, choice, planning ahead and preventative support. Our starting point is that older people consistently tell us that they want to remain living in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. It is right that older people, as everyone else does, should have that choice. Where older people are able to live independently in their own homes, wider society benefits as well as the older people themselves. Scotland’s older people are an asset.
Co-housing provides an environment where older people can remain active. We heard from Dr Elaine Murray about the activities in older people’s housing complexes in her constituency. Those sound very interesting, and I think that we would all like to join the parties there. Co-housing allows older people to contribute to their communities and to retain control over their lives.
I should make it clear—as others have highlighted—that there is no single model of housing and support that meets the needs of all older people. Older people are as diverse as any other section of society, with differing needs and expectations that reflect their individual life experiences. That means that we need a range of different types of housing and support services to meet those needs and expectations. Co-housing is one of the newer and more innovative housing models that we are keen to encourage. It showcases age-appropriate design, affordability and, as we have heard, energy efficiency as well as a mutually supportive community.
One of the central themes of our work on housing and support for older people is prevention. The importance of preventative work has been widely recognised, including in the Christie commission report and in our response “Renewing Scotland’s Public Services”. We cannot pretend that we can always prevent falls or deterioration in health, but there are many preventative services related to housing that support wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of traumatic and costly hospital and care-home admissions. Co-housing demonstrates many of the features of the best preventative support services for older people in terms of the control that it gives residents and its personalisation to their individual circumstances.
The publication of our national housing strategy for Scotland’s older people was an important milestone. The strategy was put together with the help and support of a number of housing and older people's organisations, including the Vivarium Trust, as well as—this is an important point—older people themselves. However, the strategy did not mark the end of our work; in many ways, it was just the beginning. As a Government, we are committed to the development of preventative support services for older people. We are also considering options for the future delivery and funding of housing adaptations, which play a key role in helping older people to maintain independent living, as we have heard in relation to the evidence that was put to the Finance Committee.
In conclusion, older people’s issues have rightly gained prominence in the housing agenda. We need to sustain the momentum that we have built up and to increase it as we implement our strategy and deliver our vision. With its major contribution to the development of co-housing in Scotland, the Vivarium Trust is part of the rich mix of housing and support that we seek to build in order to help enable older people to live independently. I have been delighted to hear about the progress that has been made and I will follow the pilot with interest. Tonight, I wish Vivarium well as it continues its work to develop co-housing in Fife.
Meeting closed at 18:04.
The motion gives me the opportunity to highlight the benefits of co-housing in enabling older people to live independently in a community with mutual support and control. It also allows me to set out the Government's wider work on housing and support for older people, to which Vivarium's work contributes.?
“Age, Home And Community: A Strategy For Housing For Scotland's Older People: 2012-2021” contains our 10-year strategy for housing for Scotland's older people and was published last December. We were delighted to be able to include as a case study the work of the Vivarium Trust to develop co-housing in Scotland.
We have heard from Fiona McLeod and Alex Johnstone about the challenge of the ageing population. It is forecast that the number of people who are aged 75 and over will increase by 82 per cent by 2035.
It is also important to note that, as was mentioned, the Vivarium Trust is thinking about people who are aged 50 and over. Perhaps we should be thinking about the issue before it is too late.
We heard from Clare Adamson about the importance of people being involved in the project from start to finish. That is an important issue for me. In my short time as Minister for Housing and Welfare, I have found, when I am going around housing associations and new developments, that the ones that have involved the tenants and the community are the most successful and are comfortable places to be, even upon arrival. That is what we get from what is being proposed by the Vivarium Trust. Who knows better what is required in design of homes than those who will live in them? As Clare Adamson said, we should be thinking about that in relation to all our housing.
We also continue to face tough economic conditions, with real-terms reductions in the Scottish budget of more than 11 per cent over four years—a loss of more than £3 billion, which is not insubstantial. It is therefore vital that we have the right housing support for older people. Our getting that right will enhance people’s quality of life and their wellbeing. It will also make better use of our resources by reducing the number of falls and other accidents in the home, and consequently the number of emergency hospital admissions.
Our national strategy for housing for older people is built around four themes that are exemplified in the co-housing model. Those themes are: older people as an asset, choice, planning ahead and preventative support. Our starting point is that older people consistently tell us that they want to remain living in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. It is right that older people, as everyone else does, should have that choice. Where older people are able to live independently in their own homes, wider society benefits as well as the older people themselves. Scotland’s older people are an asset.
Co-housing provides an environment where older people can remain active. We heard from Dr Elaine Murray about the activities in older people’s housing complexes in her constituency. Those sound very interesting, and I think that we would all like to join the parties there. Co-housing allows older people to contribute to their communities and to retain control over their lives.
I should make it clear—as others have highlighted—that there is no single model of housing and support that meets the needs of all older people. Older people are as diverse as any other section of society, with differing needs and expectations that reflect their individual life experiences. That means that we need a range of different types of housing and support services to meet those needs and expectations. Co-housing is one of the newer and more innovative housing models that we are keen to encourage. It showcases age-appropriate design, affordability and, as we have heard, energy efficiency as well as a mutually supportive community.
One of the central themes of our work on housing and support for older people is prevention. The importance of preventative work has been widely recognised, including in the Christie commission report and in our response “Renewing Scotland’s Public Services”. We cannot pretend that we can always prevent falls or deterioration in health, but there are many preventative services related to housing that support wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of traumatic and costly hospital and care-home admissions. Co-housing demonstrates many of the features of the best preventative support services for older people in terms of the control that it gives residents and its personalisation to their individual circumstances.
The publication of our national housing strategy for Scotland’s older people was an important milestone. The strategy was put together with the help and support of a number of housing and older people's organisations, including the Vivarium Trust, as well as—this is an important point—older people themselves. However, the strategy did not mark the end of our work; in many ways, it was just the beginning. As a Government, we are committed to the development of preventative support services for older people. We are also considering options for the future delivery and funding of housing adaptations, which play a key role in helping older people to maintain independent living, as we have heard in relation to the evidence that was put to the Finance Committee.
In conclusion, older people’s issues have rightly gained prominence in the housing agenda. We need to sustain the momentum that we have built up and to increase it as we implement our strategy and deliver our vision. With its major contribution to the development of co-housing in Scotland, the Vivarium Trust is part of the rich mix of housing and support that we seek to build in order to help enable older people to live independently. I have been delighted to hear about the progress that has been made and I will follow the pilot with interest. Tonight, I wish Vivarium well as it continues its work to develop co-housing in Fife.
Meeting closed at 18:04.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-03413, in the name of Roderick Campbell, on the Vivarium Trust and co-housing for olde...
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the members of the Vivarium Trust who are in the gallery for the debate: Hugh Hoffman, Margaret Farrell, Erika Topolewska and Senga Bate. I also th...
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Lab
I am not particularly familiar with the Vivarium Trust, although I know that it had an exhibition in Parliament earlier this year, and we have just heard a v...
Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
I thank Rod Campbell for bringing this debate to Parliament today and for inviting the Vivarium Trust to have a stall here a few months ago. I found it fasci...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I, too, congratulate Roderick Campbell on having brought the motion before Parliament for debate tonight. In fact, it is a subject that I have heard of in th...
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, thank Roderick Campbell for bringing the debate to the chamber this evening and highlighting the work of the Vivarium Trust.As someone born and raise...
The Minister for Housing and Welfare (Margaret Burgess)
SNP
I congratulate Rod Campbell on securing this debate and thank him for drawing wider attention to the work of the Vivarium Trust to publicise and develop co-h...