The Golden Years

A diverse, inquisitive panel of experts across design, anthropology and education asks how design can reimagine home for our aging population

Between now and 2050, Australia's elderly population is predicted to more than double, with the population over 85 set to quadruple. As we age, our requisites of the home evolve. While our need for belonging, comfort and connection is continuous, as our physical needs change, the site of our most fundamental necessities becomes more concentrated. 

How can we ensure that the home is not something that exacerbates, impairs, overwhelms or endangers, while still enabling our older people the autonomy and dignity of risk that isn’t always available in institutional models of care? How can good design help our older people to stay for as long as possible with the greatest quality of life? What do our current urban models say about our cultural attitudes towards ageing? 

These are the questions that will be tackled by an expert panel featuring architect Ana Sá, landscape architect and horticultural consultant Tim Mitchell, design anthropologist Miguel Gomez Hernandez, and independent living resident Maggie Moran, guided by moderator Emily Wong (Landscape Architecture Australia) through a free flow of ideas and audience Q&A. 

This definition of ‘home’ blends physical, emotional, aesthetic, and social elements into a cohesive whole. They will be considering the role that design can play – from garden design to smart technology, to architecture and spatial design – in shaping the home as we age.  

It’s set to be a curious, wide-ranging social and architectural critique that looks to a future where design can help radically improve the wellbeing of our older people. Which, after all, is something we all want to be able to look forward to.