My Future Living says later-life housing has growing role to play in helping people stay well, independent and connected Healthy life expectancy in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since records began, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures[i] with new analysis also revealing major regional differences in how long people can expect to live in good health. Men in the UK can now expect to spend 60.7 years in good health and women 60.9 years, both down on previous years. Healthy life expectancy has also declined in more than four out of five local authority areas across the UK and in every region of England. Regional inequalities remain stark. In England, the South East continues to have the highest healthy life expectancy at birth, at 63.0 years for men and 64.3 years for women, while the North East has the lowest, at 57.0 years for men and 56.9 years for women. The North East has recorded the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth in every period since the time series began. The difference in healthy life expectancy between local areas now stands at 14.7 years for men and 15.8 years for women, underlining the extent to which where people live can shape health, independence and quality of life in later years. My Future Living said the figures should sharpen attention on the role housing plays in helping people stay independent, connected and well in later life. Joanne Couch, Director of Finance and Operations at My Future Living, said: “Living longer is only part of the…
