In her latest News Space blog, Age Space’s Annabel James looks at news and views about elderly care.
Building age-proof homes
A poll of more than 4,000 UK adults shows that most people want every new home to be built in a way that is suitable for all people of all ages and abilities. Nearly three quarters of people polled by YouGov agreed that homes should as standard be built to be suitable for people of all ages and abilities, while nearly half disagreed that UK society does enough to support people to live at home safely and independently as we age.
Despite positive attitudes from the public, the English Housing Survey shows that 93% of UK homes don’t meet basic accessibility standards – and many developers are not building new homes that are suitable for people as they age.
Amongst over-65s, nearly half (45%) personally worry about themselves struggling with everyday activities like cooking, bathing or eating in the future and almost a third (32%) worry about whether someone else in their household would struggle with the same tasks.
Read more from The Centre for Ageing Better.
Good news for older “hipsters” 
Eight out of 10 knee replacements and six out of 10 hip replacements last as long as 25 years, says a large study from the University of Bristol.
This is much longer than believed and the findings will help patients and surgeons decide when to carry out surgery.
The research looked at 25 years of operations involving more than 50,000 people
Nearly 200,000 of the operations were performed in 2017 in England and Wales, with most carried out on people between 60 and 80 years old.
And in other news, The Royal Osteoporosis Society (formerly the National Osteoporosis Society) is setting up an academy. It will bring together the best minds, leading researchers, clinicians and academics in the field to advance the scientific knowledge of osteoporosis and bone health and ultimately to find a cure for the condition.
Meanwhile check out our guide to how a healthy diet can help prevent fragile bones.
Watch Ken’s Story
A sight loss charity has released this new film to highlight the isolation experienced by many older people with sight loss.
The film, ‘Ken’s Story’, demonstrates the loneliness often experienced by the veterans Blind Veterans UK supports, as any issues of isolation felt as we age can increase if you have lost your sight.
Block this legal loophole
We don’t like scare stories, but this is worrying. There are a number of instances where callous crooks prey on people with dementia. They befriend them and then coerce them into marriage so they can automatically inherit their money when they die.
The cruel tricksters pose as caring friends to take advantage of a legal loophole that can allow them to completely disinherit their victim’s loving family.
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton has introduced a private member’s Bill seeking to protect vulnerable adults entering a marriage contract. The Bill is due to get its second reading next month. Read more here
And finally…
When elderly trainspotters became too frail to go out for train journeys, a Bradford care home manager decided to build them a life-size train carriage instead.
Using seats donated from an old steam engine, courtesy of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Mr White got the in-house handyman at The Gateway Care Home to build a vintage eight-seater train carriage.
Residents can dine in the ‘Gateway Express’, with dishes laid on white linen table cloth as they watch film footage of a real train journey of their choice. All aboard!
