Utilization of housing and health research for active and healthy ageing: Implementation of web-based housing counseling in collaboration between academia, municipality, companies, and older people

Of the 2 million Swedes, 65-years and older, 96% live in ordinary housing.

Although most people want a home that promotes security, health, and independence to manage everyday life without care services, there is no support for older people to plan future housing needs.

Current reactive and resource-intensive services characterized by organizational silos, need to be challenged through proactive, health-promoting efforts.

Through co-created activities, with a web-based housing counselling service (Ageing in the right place) as a hub, research on how housing and relocations affect active and healthy ageing will be utilized.

The project includes implementation of Ageing in the right place in Östersund and Härnösand municipalities, together with partners from academia, municipality, companies, and pensioners´ organizations.

Knowledge generated in the project is documented in an impact story to highlight factors that facilitate or complicate implementation.

Utilization on individual and societal levels are: Through access to housing counselling, older people are supported to make decisions about future housing, which promotes safety and health. For municipalities, better health in the older population reduces the need for health and social care. For companies that offer housing-related services, there is a growth potential in reaching more older people.

In the long term, the project can contribute to a socially sustainable housing situation for the aging population in Sweden.