People
Building Health Into Our Homes
A Report from the College of Occupational Therapists( RCOT) has highlighted the foundational links between health and housing, and advocated for the strategic role occupational therapists can play in easing pressure for both industries.
In the UK, poor housing costs the health and care system £ 1.5 billion per year, and three quarters of health professionals support people whose housing is harming their health. The report aims to illustrate the depth of the connection between the individuals’ home and their quality of life, and the severe effects of this relationship on the services that support them.
Occupational therapists, as the report states, operate within and witness the intersectionality of these services first hand. Their practice is founded on the dynamic relationship between people, the activities that matter most to them, and the environments where those activities take place. When these factors are in alignment, the individual can live a comfortable and healthy life, and when they fall into conflict with another this relationship creates the barriers that can lead to persistent health issues. These may be physical, cognitive, sensory, psychological, social or cultural and the consequences for independence and wellbeing can be drastic, with barriers operating at individual, community and societal levels.
The report criticises a similar talking point when housing is placed alongside wellbeing, the siloed nature of the health, housing and social care industries. These siloes separate valuable flows of information, and stands as a key barrier to any of the three industries truly operating in a preventable manner at scale.
The health and housing challenge
The report illustrates the growing complexity and scale of healthcare need in the UK. Almost half of adults in Wales already live with long-term conditions and by 2035, twothirds of adults in England over 65 will have multiple health conditions. Scotland has the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe, and in Northern Ireland people are living an average of 20 years in poor health. These growing needs react violently with the current housing crisis, which will continue to worsen and exacerbate these needs if not subdued.
The lack of adequate housing is directly tied to these growing support needs across all four nations of the UK. The report states that over 3.5 million homes in England are classed as non-decent, housing 7.5 million people – including 2.3 million aged 55 + and 1.5 million children. Older residents and children are particularly reliant on a suitable and safe home environment, with children in overcrowded homes experiencing poorer health and wellbeing. This reality is particularly stark in the context of the UK’ s surge in temporary accommodation, with the number of children living in TA across the country reaching record levels for the past eight years.
94 Issue 28