Explore the typical lifestages and characteristics of Supported Communities:
Demographics
A predominantly White British elderly cohort with limiting disabilities, though incorporating a smaller gen-Z subset of health impaired singles.
- The vast majority of this group (69%) are retired older singles or families with no children under the age of 18; over 50% are aged 71 years or older, with a bias towards women and widows due to longer life expectancy.
- The group also contains a small but notable subset of younger people, also tending to be single and without dependent children, generally aged between 18-25, that accounts for around 10% of households.
- 60% of this group has a long-standing illness or disability, that directly impacts mobility, speech, hearing, sight or memory, for which regular care and/or support is required.
- The is one of the least ethnically diverse groups, though with a wide range of political persuasions.
Socioeconomics
A mixture of retired and unemployed, with limited education and income, living in sheltered or council provided housing.
- Many in this group live in sheltered or specially adapted accommodation such as local council or housing association tenants, mostly in older terraces, flats or bungalows.
- The vast majority don't work or are retired, living on low incomes – more than half live either on the state pension or less than £10,000 per year – while small numbers of this group are students, who may have gone home. (figures c.2015)
- Few people in this group entered higher education, with just over 40% having no formal qualifications, though many once pursued trade apprenticeships.
Lifestyle
Lifestage and circumstances dictate that this group is not very active at all in comparison with people generally, spending most of their time at home.
- Pursuits which require physical activity or leaving the home are taken up only by a very few, and they are amongst those people most likely not to participate in any creative activities at all.
- Outdoor leisure pursuits tend to be off-puttingly difficult, so most of their interests are centred on activities that can take place in and around the home: watching television, listening to music, reading, doing crosswords and puzzles.
- Smaller numbers also enjoy painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture.
- Of the 60% of this group identifying as having a long-term illness or disability, 89% report consequently limited social or leisure activity, and less than a third take part in sports and exercise, with DIY also of relatively little interest.
- They do enjoy occasional gardening, and some like making trips to restaurants to eat out or going for days out to visit places of interest, though this applies to a relatively small proportion of the group and at much lower levels of activity than are observed amongst many other segments.