Life expectancy in the UK has doubled since the mid-19th century but maintaining a good quality of life during older age can be a challenge for many and loneliness has become a serious issue.
A lack of suitable homes that promote social interaction is exacerbating the problem. There are around 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in England alone. This isolation has a serious impact on their health and happiness and research has shown they are more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population.
At Legal & General we are investing for the long term in revolutionary later living communities that are tailored to the lifestyles of the over-65s and are making a real difference. We are already operating six later living villages in rural and suburban locations in Cheshire, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Devon and West Sussex through Inspired Villages, a developer and operator of later living accommodation that we established in 2017.
Urban communities
We’ve also established Guild Living, a developer and operator, to create three urban villages in Bath, Walton-on-Thames and Epsom. Our aim is to create 3,000 homes in town centres in the next five years. Guild Living will offer the over-65s the chance to be close to all the amenities that towns have to offer, while bringing the spending power of the older generation to our under-pressure high streets.
Inspired Villages and Guild Living offer high-quality homes centred around wellness facilities, providing a holistic approach to wellbeing, encouraging mental, physical and social activation.
Guild Living is focused on improving the way we age, conducting an extensive programme of academic research to reshape the way we build, live and flourish within communities. It is working closely with Professor Malcolm Johnson from the University of Bath, whose work on the Channel 4 series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds demonstrated the positive impact that contact with young people could have on residents.