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Essex invests £2.7m in housing to enable elderly to live independently (25 August 2016)

Date: 25/08/2016
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Essex invests £2.7m in housing to enable elderly to live independently

Essex County Council has announced a £2.7 million investment in housing to enable older people to live independently.

The council’s Independent Living programme will build 1,800 new Independent Living homes, with 24 -hour care and support on site, across Essex between up to 2021.

The investment will enable eligible older people in the county who would otherwise be housed in residential care – or receive domiciliary care in a home of their own that may no longer meets their needs – to live independently.

Independent Living housing is also known as Extra Care or Assisted Living housing – currently, there are only 429 homes of this type in Essex.

The primary difference between Independent Living housing and other types of specialist housing for older people is the availability of 24-hour care and support on site.

The council’s investment is providing funding incentives to assist developers in delivering new Independent Living schemes – each scheme contains around 60 flats. In addition to enabling older people to live independently, the investment will see Essex County Council make long-term financial savings through more efficient delivery of care to residents.

The housing schemes also include communal facilities such as shared space and gardens, dining room, hairdressers, mobility scooter store, car park and guest rooms.

All Independent Living housing is located within easy reach of local shops, services and public transport.

The council said that building work had already started on the first three Independent Living schemes to receive a funding contribution from the council, which is working with all district councils to identify suitable land for development to meet local demand for Independent Living housing.

To be eligible for Independent Living housing an individual must be aged 55 or over, have a care need of at least six hours per week and a family connection to the local area of the scheme.

Essex County Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Aged Care, Councillor Malcolm Maddocks, said:

“This is a defining moment in the way we care for our older residents – our investment in the Independent Living programme will mean people can retain independence, but still have the reassurance of 24-hour care on site, as well as community facilities, which will keep them connected to their friends and neighbours.”

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