As our population ages, the demand for demand for high-quality, age-friendly housing options that provide on-site care and support for older adults is growing and expected to continue to rise. However, not much is known about how these living environments support older residents from social minority backgrounds, or how they work to ensure that all residents are equally valued and included.

Based on a survey of residents and interviews with residents, staff members and housing experts, the report finds:

• Older people living in housing with care are less lonely than if they were living in the wider community.
• While most of the residents interviewed said they felt valued and included, the majority of the residents from social minorities said they had experienced or anticipated some form of discrimination within their scheme.
• One in every eight residents surveyed reported seeing discrimination from other residents, making it twice as likely for resident to feel discriminated against by other residents than staff members.

To create more age-friendly, inclusive environments in which to grow old for our increasingly diverse ageing population, the report calls on: housing providers and scheme management to listen to the views of residents and involve them in the design of their schemes and services; designers, commissioners and providers to work together to create universal inclusive design standards; and the national government to invest in financial incentives encouraging the creation of more age-friendly housing schemes as well as the improvement of existing schemes.

This report was based on findings from the Diversity with Care Environments (DICE) project, which has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and hosted by the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol in collaboration with ILC and Housing LIN.You can find further information on the DICE project, including a series of podcasts capturing the voices of project participants, here.