United Welsh launches specialist 55+ team

United Welsh has launched a specialist team to develop a range of housing solutions for the over-55s in response to increasing and changing demand. 

The dedicated Living+ team will further develop United Welsh’s properties and services for its 600 existing 55+ residents in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire, and a range of new housing and support options to meet the requirements of this growing and diverse age group. 

12 million people in the UK are expected to be of pensionable age by 2010 – and in Wales the number of people aged 85 or over has grown five-fold over the past fifty years*.  And according to Wayne Emery, who heads up Living+, the housing requirements of this age group are set to be more wide-ranging than ever before. 

“Reaching 55 is a wholly different experience today than it was even twenty years ago,” says the 51-year-old, who has worked in housing for the over-55s for more than thirty years. 

“Today’s so-called baby-boomers have much more defined and sophisticated expectations of how and where they want to live and their needs will evolve as they get older to very varied degrees.  At the same time – particularly in Wales – we have a significant number of people living to 85-plus and we need to make sure we are providing the homes they want and the support they need.” 

The Living+ team is currently researching proposals to develop brand new housing developments and to use new technologies to help people stay safely in their own homes, including sensor equipment which can, for example, detect if someone has fallen. 

“We want Living+ to be all about choice, giving people a wide range of options as they get older, so they can stay in their own homes for longer or choose from a number of different types of new homes, and select the level of support and care they require.” 

Tony Whittaker, chief executive of United Welsh, said: “Meeting the changing aspirations of the over-55s is a very particular challenge which is facing every business sector.  We feel a specialist team to pioneer new developments in this field will be key in order to deliver the best products and services to our current and future residents.”

* source: Office for National Statistics

(30th September 2005)