Why aren’t our homes suitable for older or disabled people?

One thing I’ve noticed is how far too many new homes are far too insecure and far too easy to violate and break in to which needs to seriously change, as does building them right next to heavy flooding rivers and only a few feet above them which is a deadly serious major mistake, it’s not the developers who have to live in them, or those who grant permission for them. And corridors also need to be wide enough for the bigger mobility scooters as well as wheelchairs, and some wheelchairs are as large as the bigger scooters so that needs to be provided for as well. And better security and flood prevention etc. And some disabled folk are far more vulnerable so security should be a priority in disabled folk’s homes.

I am sorry to hear of your disabilities Mark. Would triple glazing be effective enough in reducing outside noise? Would air conditioning deal with the heat problem? Grants are available from local authorities – whether they have the money I don’t know – but would these cover the disabilities you complain of?

Multiple glazing helps a bit, a friend of mine has triple glazing. But what we need is the government and all our authorities and service providers, both public and private, to properly recognise those like me as disabled and then take the appropriate action, instead of treating such people with such appalling contempt and by doing so only perpetuate society’s dreadfully negative and contemptuous attitudes. What we need is more homes specifically built with soundproofing built in all round and I know that’s expensive, but can’t the national lottery fund such projects? or is that private now? Far too many new homes are still being built as terraced so that all manner of totally intolerable noise comes pouring through from next door like their TV’s, radio’s, stereo’s and banging doors and their raucous exuberance etc. which is why some new homes need to be built detached and they don’t need to be lavish, just built with sensible design features built in, like double skin walls with soundproofing in between for instance as well as multiple glazing. And I see people almost everyday who are obviously severely disabled with obvious life ruining conditions, obvious to me that is, but for most not so obvious because of the ongoing stigma around such conditions. Instead there’s far too much outrageous contempt and blaming the victims. And a lot of such appalling conditions are inherited or can be caused by dodgy unsafe food which is another deadly serious reason why we absolutely MUST keep our strict food safety controls. And of course some such appalling life destroying problems can be caused by selfish mothers drinking to excess and/or smoking and taking dodgy drugs while pregnant but that’s another subject.

In the 1970s I laughed at the new detached houses that were being built close together but at least it avoids noise through party walls. I rented a flat temporarily when I changed my job and well remember a noisy neighbour who was fond of loud music.

Even when I was young I found it difficult to concentrate if there was background noise, especially when studying in the university as a student. I have a great deal of sympathy for those like Crusader who have to put up with noise.

I am sure there are, Malcolm, but they probably would not be effective for those with exceptionally high hearing sensitivity for whom only a well-separated detached property would meet the need [or wearing noise-cancelling headphones at all times].

Just in case anyone’s wondering, I am Mark S. but now known as crusader since I signed up. Unfortunately wearing headphones is just not practical all the time, they get in the way and you can’t wear them in bed or when washing etc. or if you need to use a phone. And I meant to include dogs in my previous comment but I forgot and now the edit button is somehow being withheld, just like so many things which are so persistently and ruthlessly withheld from me all the time so lockdown hardly makes any difference to me. And where I live there’s an absolutely paranoid psychopathic maniac dog kept out in the back yard a few doors down so I have to have loud amplified white noise available on demand by remote control and if I need to do any work outside in the yard then I have to use a very loud 100 watt white noise machine which I built myself and of course needless to say one neighbour across the road from me has been mouthing off at me about it but he won’t complain about the criminally insane dogs, oh no, no-one ever does, all anyone ever cares about is whatever trumped-up charge they can pin on me and they’re always so meticulously tuned in to me and whatever I do but are somehow totally immune to anyone else’s noise which infuriates me. And I only use my machine when I have to and only in the daytime and only after 9 am and before 6 pm, never in unsociable hours and it makes no more noise than the navvies with their compressors and pneumatic drills etc. and no-one picks on them. But the dogs are out there all manner of early and late hours and dogs have far more respect these days than anyone like me which also absolutely infuriates me, people come before filthy menacing dogs, especially severely disabled folk with utterly ruined lives and it’s always those like me who are made to suffer the worst and all manner of stuff is being put in place to only maximise that appalling suffering and EXclusion and no-one ever wants to know, especially those in power and control and that has to change. The current disability minister is not fit for the job and should be replaced by someone far more open minded.

That is very encouraging. I suspect that moving radiators could be challenging for some DIYers.

You’re not wrong about difficulty in organising stuff. I have absolutely MAJOR problems trying to do anything, no matter how trivial, in anything like an organised manner, and usually fail appallingly because my useless head just won’t work and vital things which would be so obvious to the majority are far too often withheld from me until it’s far too late and the dwp have such a major problem understanding and accepting such a thing. They still think disability is all white sticks and wheelchairs, and depression and anxiety etc. and severe cognitive disorders etc. but have absolutely no understanding of anyone like me and instead just ignorantly and persistently contradict me. Since when did they know my life better than I do?! So I took them to tribunal and thrashed them and humiliated their representative in front of the tribunal judge and shut him up.

Unfortunately really effective soundproofing is not that simple, and it’s not just radiators that might get in the way. With some terraced houses like mine there’s also the fireplace and chimney breast at the party wall which is impractical to remove, and ordinary plasterboard and insulation etc. doesn’t really work, it needs specialist materials and they must be very professionally fitted and the entire party wall has to be done, right up to the apex of the roof, and in between floors and ceilings and in some homes right down below the floor as well. And that’s hugely expensive and impractical if the chimney breasts are on that side, and even if you could do the whole job it would only achieve some degree of reduction of noise, and some noises are far more difficult to block out than others. And I don’t think anything will drown out anyone slamming heavy doors or really loud booming dogs or pounding bass, especially if you’ve got a rock band practicing next door with all their big amplifiers. And in some terraces there’s no complete wall between roof spaces. So if a home is going to be properly sound proof it really needs to be detached and specially designed and built for it.

Christine — Thank you for your interesting comments on the design of the accommodation in your retirement village. Did you investigate a number of residential opportunities before selecting your present home, and did they all have similar drawbacks?

It has long been my concern that retirement villages are marketed towards, and designed for, fairly well-off people in their early retirement years who are fit and active and not needing the more thoughtful and practical features that we all need in later life.

Psychologically, the market for these properties is not interested in fixtures and fittings that give the appearance of an ‘old people’s home’. I would go so far as to say that the providers and operators of retirement villages assume that, by the time residents cannot manage the stairs or push open the doors or will fall over in the bathroom, they will be moving on to the next stage of supported living in a residential care home. If fulfilled, this aspiration enables them to continue marketing the establishments as being occupied by spritely and well-turned-out septuagenarians leading a full life of leisure and social activity. Increasingly, I suspect the reality is different.

I am glad you enjoy living in your village and have good and friendly company. I am sure that makes up for minor inadequacies in the accommodation, but I wish the designers would put more thought into the practicalities of retirement living arrangements since for many residents it will be their ‘forever home’.

There is plenty of design guidance available, although mainly aimed at those who have some disability or cognitive impairment. But those who choose a “personal” retirement home may well head in that direction, so anticipating some loss of capability would make the home more suitable for a longer term stay.

This is a very comprehensive example. Although from Canada the principles are universal. https://www.fgiguidelines.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MMP_DesignGuideLongTermCareHomes_2018.01.pdf