The most important fact is that extra care housing is housing first. People who live there have their own self-contained homes. They have legal rights to occupy that are underpinned by housing law. This means there is a clear distinction between extra care housing and residential care as recognised by the Care Quality Commission. Further information can be found by going to www.cqc.org.uk
What is it for?
Mainly to provide well-designed housing that enables people to self-care for longer and give them access to care and other services which helps them retain their independence. Some properties in a development might also be used for providing intermediate care or rehabilitation services. Facilities might be based in a development to provide day centre activities, ageing well and keep fit for people living in and outside the development. These are usually separated from accommodation units in a development, to ensure privacy for the people who live there. Some developments also have office facilities for communitybased teams of domiciliary care or housing related support and health workers.
There isn’t an easy way to describe the buildings because they are so diverse.
They can look like a:
•
Purpose built retirement village
• Large block of apartments with a restaurant or other linked buildings
• Leisure complex
• Development of bungalows and a mix of apartments and a central resource building that houses community health services or other facilities serving the occupants and local people
• Sheltered housing scheme
• Hotel.
Buildings may be new and purpose built or they may be older buildings that are re-used. Sometimes buildings are ‘remodelled’ so that each occupant has better facilities such as walk-in showers.
Extra care developments can contain a laundry for residents (or each apartment has a washing machine and dryer), lounges, meeting rooms, hobby rooms, and space for health or care staff. They may, but don’t have to have a specially equipped bathroom for assisted bathing and a restaurant.