LINks - the Housing LIN's essential weekly bulletin (w/c 19 October)

Welcome to LINks, the weekly e-bulletin from the Housing LIN (Learning and Improvement Network) where we put a selection of latest information, resources and events under the spotlight. In this week's issue, we would like to draw your attention to the following:


Putting Older People First: Our vision for the next five years

Cover - Putting Older People First: Our vision for the next five years

Launched at today Housing LIN's regional conference in Bristol, this document by the South West Housing LIN leadership set sets out a vision for a whole system approach to meeting housing, health and wellbeing outcomes for our older populations in South West England. It highlights the aims and objectives of the group; specific issues facing the sector in the South West; examples of innovative practice and the groups priorities over the next 5 years.

View at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/HousingRegions/SouthWest/?parent=1025&child=9821 (opens new window)


HAPPI 3 - New APPG on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiry

This week also saw the first session of this new APPG inquiry, 'Making Retirement Living A Positive', chaired by Lord Best. Due to report in May 2016, the inquiry is seeking examples of best and innovative practice, and exploring different service options and advocating for improvement in standards and practice in the management of retirement properties. To coincide with new inquiry, the Housing LIN has updated the HAPPI pages on its 'Design Hub', setting out content relating to HAPPI1 and HAPPI2 and provide further background information on the HAPPI 3 inquiry.

Find out more at: http://www.housinglin.org.uk/HAPPI/ (opens new window)


New Housing LIN blogs

The Housing LIN has published 3 thought-provoking blogs considering the future housing aspirations and wishes of older people in relation to 'downsizing'. They include:

Rightsizing not downsizing for last-time-movers

Written by Anthony Brand, Strategy Manager, Homes and Communities Agency, this blog explains how we are seeing a shift in how older persons' housing is viewed and approached by developers. Kindly reproduced with the HCA's permission at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/resource/?coid=9835

Getting down to it: A possible way of facilitating downsizing for older people

Rachel Terry, independent consultant and a member of CIH's Influence Board, suggests that with government incentives to build for first-time buyers, and higher returns on bigger properties for affluent families, developers have little need to focus on appropriate properties for older people. Rachel explores ways housing associations could generate new business to stimulate a downsizer market. View at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/resource/?coid=9844 (opens new window)

Blaming the baby boomers for the housing crisis ignores the real issue: a lack of supply

Written by Jonathan Halket, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Essex, this blog highlights that while baby boomers have generally profited from rising property values, the real reason for the UK's housing problem is a lack of supply. Kindly reproduced with the permission by The Conversation at:http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/resource/?coid=9842 (opens new window)


New Technology enabled care "did you know?" paper from the Housing LIN

This paper provides essential "did you know?" questions and answers for housing providers, commissioners and managers of adult social care when it comes to considering the best use of technology enabled care, as we enter the digital world. It is divided into 6 sections, as follows:

A) Funding - how can telecare be funded

B) Specific applications - can technology support cooking or medication

C) Links to housing strategy - how does technology support business objectives

D) Attitudes to technology - how can we overcome fears around social isolation

E) Infrastructure / models - what do we need to know about moving to IP/Digital

F) Awareness - how to engage the whole community

Download at: http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/browse/HousingOlderPeople/OlderPeopleHousingProvision/Telecare/?&msg=0&parent=987&child=9829

A home is much more than a house: integrated approaches for the housing, health and care needs of vulnerable adults

LGA logo

This LGA report explores what the core elements of what 'good' integrated working with housing looks like and to identify the conditions most conducive to its growth. This report brings together the key challenges identified in the workshops and sets out case study examples of the progress that has been made by many different people in different places working at both the strategic and operational level.

Download at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/browse/CareAndSupportatHome/InnovativeServiceProvision/?&msg=0&parent=9756&child=9846 (opens new window)

And if you found this of interest, check out our new Care and Support at Home webpages at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/browse/CareAndSupportatHome/ (opens new window)


Telecare News Headlines

Telecare LIN logo email

This week's news headlines from the Telecare LIN can be downloaded in two formats (doc; pdf) at:


Forthcoming Housing LIN events/meetings

Please note that we are currently planning a series of free regional events and meetings, as follows:

North East Housing LIN annual conference on 11 November in Durham: Improving health through the home in the North East

A free one day event supported by ADASS, North East Councils, NHF and the Housing LIN taking a 'deep dive' into the health and housing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and its implementation regionally. http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Events/ForthcomingEvents/HousingEventDetail/?eventID=851

  • West Midlands Housing LIN meeting on Tuesday, 27 October in Bournville, Birmingham - Reserve places available
  • North West Housing LIN annual conference on Tuesday, 3 November in Warrington - Reserve places available
  • North East Housing LIN annual conference on 11 November in Durham - Registrations now open
  • Eastern Housing LIN regional meeting on Wednesday, 12 November in Chelmsford - Few places left
  • London Housing LIN regional meeting on Monday, 16 November in Morden - Registrations now open!
  • London Housing LIN regional meeting on Friday, 4 December in Islington - Save the date! Registrations to open soon

More information and registrations to attend these events can be found at:

http://www.housinglin.org.uk/Events/ForthcomingEvents/ (opens new window)

If you are not already registered to receive notifications about our events and meetings in your region, update your own Housing LIN account by logging at:

www.housinglin.org.uk/useraccount


Other Events (supported by the Housing LIN)

Housing, support and care via a skilled workforce; Skills for Care and Sitra.

Skills for Care, in partnership with Sitra, are holding 6 free events across England between October 2015 and January 2016 aimed at Housing with Care and Support employers. These workshops will focus on the critical role of housing in promoting wellbeing and how this can be delivered via a well trained workforce. You can book on to one of these events at:

http://www.sitra.org/free-skills-for-care-events-workforce-issues-for-those-working/ (opens new window)

Bringing together health and housing - enabling better health and wellbeing

Aimed at health, housing and social care professionals, this King's Fund conference is being held on Wednesday, 21 October 2015 in London. It will feature a selection of examples of joint working between housing and health and care services, that are showing real successes in improving health and wellbeing outcomes for their populations. More info at: http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/events/housing-and-public-health (opens new window)

Stay networked with the Housing LIN for latest news, views and resources on housing with care matters.