The Retirement Living Council (RLC) has lamented a lack of housing solutions for South Australia’s ageing population in the FY25 SA State Budget.
“While there is a celebrated focus on first homebuyers, it’s radio silence on affordable housing options for older South Australians,” said RLC Executive Director Daniel Gannon.
“There is much needed cost of living relief for people on fixed income pensions, but no costed plan or initiatives for South Australia’s ageing population and the associated challenges with accommodation and care.
“The Treasurer himself acknowledged that more than 100 South Australians are stranded in hospital beds every day due to a lack of aged care and disability care places.
“This is where retirement villages can help do some of the heavy lifting for government given after just nine months living in a retirement village, older South Australians are 20 per cent less likely to require hospitalisation.
“People who live in a retirement village have better access to onsite health and wellbeing services that are shown to reduce interactions with GPs, leading to 14,000 avoided hospitalisations around the country every year.
“Given South Australia is tackling an escalating ramping crisis, it’s time government prioritised age-friendly housing through planning and budget measures before a bad situation becomes even worse.
“The recently announced Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment will go a long way to unleashing more age-friendly housing, but the problem is already on the government’s doorstep.
“If older South Australians are incentivised to ‘rightsize’ into homes better suited to their ageing needs, it leads to better health outcomes for older people and more homes re-entering the housing market for younger people,” he said.
