practical living
Housing design
Better housing conditions could save older Australians lives .
By Elise Hartevelt
More resilient housing for older Australians is needed , researchers have said , as they found that homes are often inadequately suited to cope with extreme weather conditions which poses dangerous health risks for vulnerable residents .
Professor Veronica Soebarto ’ s latest project , ‘ Improving thermal environment of housing of older Australians ’, involved monitoring over 300 older Australians across three climate zones .
Soebarto and her colleagues from the University of Adelaide created the ‘ Thermal comfort at home ’ guide to inform older people , architects and designers on how to achieve a protective and healthy climate in their homes .
“ We urgently need more resilient housing for older Australians if we want them to combat future extreme weather and climate changes ,” Soebarto said .
“ People want to stay at home longer and we ’ re also facing a rapidly ageing population .
“ Thermal comfort is not just about how a person feels – it can also affect health and wellbeing .”
Considering that people over 60 spend up to 80 per cent of their time inside ,
Soebarto said it ’ s key to provide sturdy and weather-proofed homes so we can save lives .
Cold weather increases someone ’ s risks of cardiovascular diseases , influenza , pneumonia , and arthritis , while hot weather can lead to heat strokes , lethargy and headaches .
Older Australians are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions since their metabolic rate slows down , and they are less agile and active .
“ Older people are more at risk to a range of physical and health-related issues and conditions around us , particularly heat and cold weather ,” Soebarto said .
Seventy per cent of Australia ’ s climate consists of semi to arid deserts , where figures in winter can reach as low as minus 8 degrees and the average summer temperature ranges between 37 to 39 degrees .
Fatality rates during heat waves have drastically increased for older people living in Australia , according to official records .
For those aged between 75 and 84 , for example , mortality rates rose by 0.45 per 100,000 people . For people over 85 , it increased by 0.83 .
“ People want to stay at home longer .
Nearly 500 Australians passed away due to heat waves between 2000 and 2018 , the data revealed . Of these fatalities , 224 were over 60 and occurred in houses built before 2006 .
“ We found that houses in [ South ] Australia tended to perform poorly – they would leak hot air in winter or become very hot in summer ,” Soebarto said .
“ When these occupants are older and more fragile , they might struggle to open a window to get fresh air .
“ We also measured that in some houses , temperatures came down to 9 degrees in winter , which is dangerous for their lungs and increases their risk of an infection .” Soebarto found that most existing government regulations for housing are related to accessibility and safety , like having locks on doors , but not to thermal environments .
In her guideline , she showed how people can stay cool during summers by installing centralised or space heating , and stay cool during winters by installing fans and easyto-open windows .
“ How a house is designed can play a significant role in ensuring it cools down during warmer months and retains the heat during cooler temperatures ,” she said .
“ Well-designed houses can provide cost-effective solutions , which are more important than ever , considering the rising cost of electricity and gas .” Over one-third of Australians reported their house was either too cold or too hot , according to a 2019-20 ABS survey .
Particularly those from a lower socioeconomic status reported poorer housing conditions , where over 20 per cent reported having issues staying warm and / or cold during the seasons .
Soebarto is hopeful that her upcoming research will provide further information around social housing and those from a lower socioeconomic status , to help protect older people in the future .
“ We have not adequately captured older Australians and other vulnerable groups that live in social housing , so luckily , we received the funding and can now explore this ,” she said .
“ We hope this project will advance knowledge about the design and operation of more resilient and affordable housing that will improve health and wellbeing .” ■ agedcareinsite . com . au 25