Models of Housing with Care

A surprising number of people do not understand the difference between retirement housing and a care home. What chance do they have with assisted living, extra care, very sheltered, continuing care, easy living or close care? Can the industry help them differentiate between products presented in such a variety of terms?

The answer is probably no, hence the importance of the Quality of Information Mark to every single scheme or development.

Existing terminology in use for Housing with Care

Note: ‘Housing’ means a self contained home with its own front door and a legal right to occupy the property.

Assisted Living

• Used in the private sector to differentiate a more serviced model from standard retirement housing. Personal care services may be available on site or simply ‘facilitated’
• Used in the private sector for a top of the range brand of licensed accommodation with care services

Close Care

• Independent flats or bungalows built on the same site as a care home. Services, including personal care, are often provided by the care home to the residents.

Enhanced Sheltered Housing

• Used by some local authorities to describe schemes where personal care and support services are available but not 24/7, and therefore do not meet the extra care criteria or standards used by the Housing Corporation and the Department of Health

Extra Care Housing

• A model of retirement housing with meals and personal care services, and considered as an alternative to residential care.
• Housing designed with the needs of frailer older people in mind, which meets the extra care criteria or standards used by the Housing Corporation and the Department of Health.

Housing with care

• A term not yet identified with a specific model, but implying retirement housing offering a range of services not available in standard retirement (or sheltered) housing

Integrated Care and Housing (ICH)

• One Registered Social Landlord’s definition of their high quality housing product and housing related services, with access to a separate registered 24-hour on-site domiciliary care team.

Retirement Village / Retirement Community

• Used in the private sector, refers primarily to the size of a development (say above 100 housing units) offering a variety of housing types and communal facilities, but not necessarily meals or personal care services.
• Used in the voluntary and public sector to refer to a large developments offering a variety of housing types, communal facilities, meals and personal care services.

Very sheltered

• Used by some local authorities and housing associations to indicate that design standards and staffing levels are higher than for sheltered housing, but not necessarily indicating that personal care is available on site 24/7.
• Used in the private sector for a brand of retirement housing aiming to enable  retired people to retain their independence in their own home for as long as possible through the provision of meals, domestic assistance and 24/7 housekeeping staff cover.

Click here to read more about models of extra care housing on the Housing LIN website