Connecting Homes and Places for Healthy Ageing

As our population ages, it’s clear we have to act now. By 2050, a quarter of the UK population will be over 65. Right now, it’s less than 15%. That means we need to make significant changes to ensure healthy ageing for all. And it’s not just our population that’s ageing. By 2050, 80% of our housing stock will consist of preexisting buildings and be the oldest housing stock in Europe. We must be both innovative and practical as we build a healthier future for the UK. With the right technologies and innovative care solutions, we can get more from our homes for longer.

The Connected Places Catapult will deliver a multi-year programme to build a healthier future for the UK to contribute towards the UK Government’s goal of supporting older people to live at home independently for 5+ years longer. The Homes for Healthy Ageing programme will draw on world-leading academic and industry research to match solutions from healthtech and care innovators with the insights and capabilities of local authorities and housing associations. We’re working with partners, thought leaders and SMEs who want to harness opportunities for growth and innovation in the healthy ageing space.

• The programme will establish several testbeds across five locations in the UK. These testbeds will:
• Help to build the communities and create the conditions needed to test new and innovative solutions to challenges around healthy ageing
• Include both early-stage concepts and more developed solutions.
• Draw on local knowledge and experience, and align or integrate with existing projects to help those already working in the space and maximise impact.

For each of the five locations, we aim to work with a partner or local consortium – this could include local authorities, NHS trusts, housing associations, academic institutions, care organisations, and non-profits.

The event will be chaired by our Director of the Built Environment, Erin Walsh, and Connected Places Catapult’s CEO Nicola Yates OBE will deliver an introduction to the Homes for Healthy Ageing Programme. This will be followed by a panel discussion with three leaders from the Healthy Ageing ecosystem (Speakers TBC) who will share their perspectives and insights on the existing barriers and opportunities for leveraging innovation to overcome the existing healthy ageing challenges in the UK. The event will conclude with an overview of our Homes for Healthy Ageing Programme. Details on Next Steps and how to engage with the programme will be outlined by our Housing Innovation Lead, Natalie Record and Urban Technology Lead, Geoffrey Stevens.

You’ll benefit from this event if you’re a:

• UK businesses and innovators;
• Local authorities, housing association, charities or non-profits;
• Research, academics, policy or investment partners.

In addition to this event, if you’re interested in finding out more about how the Homes for Healthy Ageing programme can support your organisation – from funding and partnerships to trials and research – we would also like to hear from you via our Expression of Interest Form