HCR Law releases report on later living: building belonging, wellbeing and community

HCR Law has published its report, “Building belonging, wellbeing and community: rethinking housing for older people”, which explores the challenges facing the later living sector.

On 1 October 2025, we marked the International Day of Older Persons with a roundtable at our Cheltenham office, bringing together experts from the housing and care sectors.

Chaired by Professor Julienne Meyer, who led the government’s Older People’s Housing Taskforce, the discussion focused on the Taskforce’s findings, the future of older people’s housing and its links to health and social care.

The report summarises key insights, including the community, social and health benefits of age-friendly housing, and the need to build consumer confidence in purpose-built homes for older people.

Addressing housing needs for a super-ageing population

With more than 20% of the population projected to be aged 65+, the roundtable highlighted the need for a national strategy to meet our ageing population’s housing needs.

It urges collaboration between central government, local systems and industry partners to create more age-friendly, dementia-inclusive, faith- and culture-sensitive homes and communities to meet current and future needs.

Louise Drew, Partner in our Healthcare team, said: “We work closely with clients across the later living sector and see first-hand the challenges they face.

“This report calls for proactive action, positive conversations about later living and better communication around the health benefits of age-friendly accommodation. It emphasises the urgent need for collective action by professionals, local authorities and communities to address the challenges of our ageing society.”

The report is available to download from HCR Law.