Sheltered housing is housing designated for occupation mainly by over-55s with low-level care and support needs. The majority of residents are above the state pension age, but some are of working age.
3. Residents’ needs are at least in part met by extra housing facilities and services. This support could be either physical (getting in and out of the property) and/or emotional/ mental (emergency help or assurance).
4. Features of a sheltered unit might include:
24-hour emergency help (alarm system);
warden present some of the time;
some communal facilities, in other words, lounge, restaurant, laundry, garden;
rooms available for outreach services; and
often accessible buildings designed for communal purposes.
Extra care housing is related to sheltered housing. Like sheltered housing, it is also designated for occupation mainly by over-55s but with higher level support and care to help residents live independently (for example, where the likely alternative might be a residential care home).