A step towards age-friendly housing
An engineer has unveiled an Australian home that’s fit to grow old in – even into your twilight years.
NSA campaign goals
Policy recommendations under NSA’s Better Housing Campaign include:
Enable home care recipients to downsize without pension penalties.
Home sharing education and incentives.
Increased rent assistance payments.
A stamp duty concession for eligible seniors in all states and territories.
“Accessible housing” design standards in the National Construction Code.
A capital grants scheme for the construction of rental housing suitable for older people.
Stronger retirement village protections.
National Seniors Australia (NSA) is pushing the state and federal governments to do more to ensure builders and developers meet the demands of older Australians and provide more age-friendly housing.
A key policy plank of our Better Housing Campaign calls for “accessible housing” design standards to be included in the National Construction Code (NCC), which will make new housing age-friendly and facilitate more downsizing options for seniors.
What that will look like is still uncertain, but there are creative people in the architecture and design sector who are working on it.
The recent work of one Australian engineer in particular has been attracting industry and public attention for a clever design that could help older Australians live a peaceful life while they receive essential medical care at home.
Julius Arnold-Janco designed a house in Far North Queensland that’s been praised for being a place that seniors can live in, and say goodbye in, without having to go to hospital.
The house, in Cairns, has been designed with bedrooms that reach hospital standards, with built-in services such as oxygen and residual current device (RCD) electrical circuits, which protect against shocks.
Admittedly, it is a prestige house with a price tag to match.
Mr Arnold-Janco, founder of Janco Enterprise, described the differences in his grandparents’ deaths as his motivation to create a home where older Australians can be surrounded by family in a comfortable environment when they die.
“I watched my grandfather pass away in a hospital, confused and afraid, and it broke my heart,” he said.
“Years later, my grandmother passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. She went on her own terms, in a familiar and comforting place.
“That experience stayed with me. I believe everyone deserves that dignity.”
The medical room provides space for palliative care, wound care, infectious disease management, and recovery, and is suited to supporting elderly loved ones or others needing hospital-style care at home.
The home also has bespoke artificial intelligence, including a voice-controlled system called Cora which monitors security cameras, detects intruders, sounds alarms, and can alert neighbours.
The AI system also features internal water leak detection and even termite detection through its cameras.
Mr Arnold-Janco says his house “demonstrates that technology can be intuitive, affordable, and independent of brand ecosystems or internet connections, ensuring all data remains secure within the home”.
If you decide that care at home is the right option for you, you may be eligible for the government’s Essential Medical Equipment Payment.
With the new Support at Home Program expected to begin on 1 July, eligible older Australians with less than three months to live could also receive up to $25,000 to receive end-of-life care at home with palliative care services.
More information about what NSA wants to achieve through the Better Housing Campaign and how it relates to seniors is available here.
