Gary Streeter MP visits Abbeyfield House for Starts at Home Day

Local MP Gary Streeter has visited Abbeyfield House, in Ivybridge, to mark Starts at Home Day.

Starts at Home Day is a national celebration of the immense value that care and support services bring to for older people and the wider community. It recognises the difference that having a safe and secure place to call home can make to people’s lives.

Abbeyfield House is managed by charity The Abbeyfield Society. Abbeyfield has 69 sheltered housing schemes across the UK, supporting over 1,000 residents. The houses create a safe, secure and comfortable residential environment for over-55s, delivered through Abbeyfield’s unique model of retirement living.

Through the provision of shared living, dining and outdoor areas, private en suite rooms, nutritious home-cooked meals and a varied activities schedule, residents are enabled to enjoy later life to the full. Residents can be as independent as they want to be, while remaining part of a community both inside and outside of the house. With optional services and additional support on hand 24/7, friends and relatives have the peace of mind that their loved ones are cared for and able to live rich and fulfilling lives, whilst also able to enjoy the wellbeing benefits that companionship brings.

Sheltered housing is of great value to UK society in so many ways. Promoting improved health, it reduces pressure on the NHS, supports the wellbeing of residents and provides safety and security for vulnerable people – demonstrated no more clearly than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Living in inappropriate, unaffordable or insecure accommodation can pose serious mental and physical health challenges. In 2021, BRE Group calculated that inadequate housing was costing the NHS at least £1.4bn per year, a figure only likely to have increased as the effects of the housing crisis have deepened. Specialist housing for older people also delivers an annual saving to the taxpayer of around £3,000 per person through reduced reliance on health and social care services.

Mr Streeter’s visit to Abbeyfield House included a tour of the facilities. He met with some of the house’s residents, and discussed with staff how the house supports the residents day-to-day; how it engages with its local community; the importance of sheltered housing to UK society; and the challenges faced by sheltered housing providers, particularly around the cost of living crisis.

Mr Streeter said, “I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit Abbeyfield House and take part in the Starts at Home Day celebrations. I really enjoyed meeting the residents and seeing first-hand the value of sheltered housing schemes such as Abbeyfield within the local community, where older people can be independent but have the security and comfort of companionship and the support of a dedicated and committed staff team. 

“Rising utilities and the cost of living crisis will have a huge impact on sheltered housing schemes such as Abbeyfield House and their residents, and we must do everything we can to ensure they are able to continue to provide a warm, safe and happy place for older people to live.”

Starts at Home Day is promoted by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and supported by Lord Best, who is a former Director of the forerunner of the NHF, and is now Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People.

On Abbeyfield’s involvement, he said, “I am delighted that The Abbeyfield Society is supporting Starts at Home Day, showcasing the fantastic value that sheltered housing schemes add to society. 

“Abbeyfield’s rich 66 year history of providing support and companionship for older people demonstrates the unquestionably positive effects that their unique model of retirement living and community connection generates for their residents. I commend Abbeyfield for their continued vital work to alleviate the effects of loneliness and isolation.”