UK lagging behind other nations in specialised dementia housing, says Knight Frank

The UK is lagging behind other nations in offering housing options to people living with dementia, according to Knight Frank.

A new report, ‘The importance of dementia-friendly retirement living’, says the market for specialist dementia housing in the UK is “relatively immature” with a lack of adequate accommodation to support and care for those living with mild dementia.

Tom Scaife, Retirement Living Partner at Knight Frank, said: “With around 25m people in the UK knowing a family member or close friend living with dementia, 7% of our over 65s population living with dementia, and the huge cost of care for the individual and wider economy, it is down to the industry and councils to work together to create homes where people with dementia can live well.”

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The report says specialised retirement living units, which have been designed to accommodate people living with dementia, provide a cost effective way to deliver care whilst enabling residents to retain their independence.

It highlights work by Australian based architects Marchese Partners in devising a series of retirement living design principles.

Tom added: “Retirement living schemes should be designed to be dementia friendly with changing ageing requirements catered for through the built environment. This will allow an individual to live independently for longer, age in place and not to have to contemplate another move to a more specific dementia provider should their symptoms become more acute.”