Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About Me
- Susan Harwood
- It's one of those odd things . . . I live in my little house by the sea and listen to the radio and reckon I know best about more-or-less everything . . . as I keep telling the news-casters, the policiticians and all the experts interviewed there. I shout quite loud - but I'm beginning to suspect they can't hear! Sometimes, I write to my MP . . . but there's always more to say. So, here it is!
BOOK ON A BLOG
THE BRICKS IN THE CAVE - A full length children's adventure story by Susan Harwood - click on the book to read it.
ANOTHER BOOK ON A BLOG
TIMES RHYMES - For people who want to learn 'Times Tables' the easy way!
12 comments:
Hi, I think we have slightly different reasons for listing housing in our profiles. Interesting blog though.
Why do you think that about small houses? I lewisham everyone lives in small house. Most of the elderly people where i live have 2/3/4 bedrooms houses and flats just for one person. Not saying they shouldnt but i think people as theyget older tend to scale down to keep some independence, that is true of my aunt who is in her 70s and suffers with ill health.
Partly, I think elderly people should have some spare space so relatives who live at a distance can come to stay with them from time to time.
Partly because elderly people have accumulated a life-time of memories and they like to keep them on display - to keep them company when they are less able to go out and about!
Really good to hear from you Kate. I was interested in your blog too. (Though I have only read a few of your postings so far!)
What are your particular interests in housing?
Susan
My interest in housing is mostly to do with social housing issues, overcrowding,and various other similar issues. Where i live there are approx 18000 people waiting to be rehoused by the local housing authority and housing associations. Many are not able to get housing any other way and this affects so many famillies and chidren but nothing ever gets done except the people in need being put upon for being letches. Although there are people who bend the rules for personal gain most truly are in need.
Sorry that went on a bit. but its something i care about.
Kate . . . I share those same concerns / issues.
However, where I feel in a minority about this is that I don't think the way to solve the housing shortage is to cram people into ever smaller and smaller dwellings.
However sociable people are - and however much they love each other - human beings need a certain amount of space. Without it, relationships break down . . . families fragment . . . and each constituent part needs somewhere to go . . . so more houses are needed.
Therefore, . . . I would like to see new homes built bigger - and with gardens.
In the short term, this might seem an odd solution to long housing lists and the lack of accommodation . . . but, in the long term . . . ? ? ?
Susan
For environmental reasons everyone should be living in small(er) houses.
Gareth . . . I'm not sure that a generalisation about everyone needing to live in small(er) houses really holds.
Here are a couple of thoughts.
In the discussion about how useful it is to have a SHED to retreat to (on this blog) Kate from Lewisham says this
"This is so true ...coming from the person who lives in a pokey little flat flat with four children. ha ha. A garden would save my family from lots of problems ....alas I can dream."
. . . I really do think there are people who need bigger places to live.
I also thing a large house with lots of people in it can sometimes provide a more 'ecological' use of space than to have lots of smaller, individual dwellings which house the same number of people.
Susan
Susan i think you are right its probably more enviromentaly friendly fot people to live together. And as for small houses being in London we are running out of space to build so currently there are a couple of projects on the go lcally which will include the building of many new "homes" but they are mostly to be flats. And as many of the people who will be occupying them will be families with children and i think dumping people into high rises is the wrong way to go.
Why are old people expected to live?
Anthony
I was trying to decide what to do about this comment. Shocked, I read it out to my family.
But my shock was nothing compared to my nine-year old son's.
His eyes widened with horror . . . and he turned to his dad . . .
"Daddy," he said. "But you're old! Why would Anthony think you shouldn't be allowed to live?"
(My husband is 55!)
Susan
Some older people want to downsize. I know my parents wish they had moved into a smaller house when they had the energy to face the upheaval of moving. Two people rattling around in a four bed house doesn't make sense. Thankfully they have the resources to pay for a cleaner as otherwise it would be just too much.
In social housing there is an interesting (and award winning) project in Worcestershire about supporting older people who want to house-swap:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards/story/0,,2218983,00.html
The real issue isn't any expectation that older people should live in small houses - it is the fact that too many houses are just too small. Newer family homes often lack enough space for children to do homework, have their own space, etc. In that situation we all suffer.
Bob . . .
Good to hear from you . . .
I understand there are older people who live in houses that are larger than are comfortable for them.
And about new houses being too small . . . I that, I think, is a hugely important point . . . and hardly anyone seems to be making it in public.
But my worries about older people living in houses / bungalows / flats that are too small for then arise out of seeing the kind of thing that is frequently offered them by councils and housing associations . . . and which are 'purpose built' for them.
These very small dwellings leave no space for continuing contact with family . . . or for someone to come and stay with them and 'tide them over' when they are not well . . . and this can lead to people going into care when they might not otherwise . . .
But I also think it is one of the ways we show disrespect to elderly people . . . the idea that they no longer need posessions . . .
Connections with the posting on CLUTTER . . . ?
One person's clutter is a collection of memories made visible for another . . . and the older you get, the more memories you are likely to have!
Susan
If we are talking about “sheltered accommodation”, a lot of it is still too small. Many housing associations are finding that older people are unwilling to live in small one-bedroom flats (or even smaller “Units”!). When no one wants to rent such accommodation, social landlords are forced by financial imperative to re-model it into better, more spacious accommodation.
One interesting development is the emergence of extra care villages. These are schemes allow that allow people to live in their own flats or bungalows with a range of facilities and support designed to meet their needs.
Post a Comment