Future of an Ageing Population

4.3 The importance of the wider neighbourhood
A person’s living environment extends beyond their home. Enabling people
of all ages to live healthy and successful lives requires neighbourhoods with
suitable physical, social, and virtual environments.
Access to services and the promotion of outdoor mobility can have significant
health benefits for people of all ages. The International Longevity Centre
cites evidence that physical activity among older people has been linked
to better cognitive performance, reduction in morbidity and mortality and
increased wellbeing, and suggests that encouraging active travel among
older people could confer health benefits 104,105,106 . Other evidence suggests
that neighbourhoods can contribute to health by providing opportunities for
exercise, and to wellbeing by providing opportunities for social interaction
and contact with nature 107 . The ability to access open space also influences
people’s satisfaction with life 108 .
The neighbourhood social environment has also been shown to have an impact
on mental health. One study on the relationship between the neighbourhood
social environment and symptoms of depression found that cohesive
neighbourhoods can contribute to better personal relationships, better sense
of control and fewer symptoms of depression 109 .
Older people are likely to form an emotional attachment to their
neighbourhoods, as they are with their homes. In a large-scale study of people
living in private households, participants described how their neighbourhoods
contribute to a good quality of life. The features of neighbourhoods that were
prized by participants in the study were: a safe, supportive environment
where people enjoy good relationships with their neighbours; the ability to
go for walks; good views and the availability of good services and facilities 110 .
The sense of belonging to a place is connected with identity. Deterioration in
a neighbourhood and fear of crime has a strong negative influence on wellbeing
by limiting activity and engagement with the outside world. These
difficult-to-define qualities are part of the identity that people draw from their
neighbourhoods 111 .
Policy Implication
Housing should be considered in the context of the wider neighbourhood.
Interventions that improve people’s homes are less likely to be effective
without similar improvements in the neighbourhood. Accessibility and
social cohesion are two of the most significant factors that affect how
older people experience their neighbourhood.
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