The University of Bath and Guild Living, the developer that plans to build a pioneering retirement village in the city, have teamed up on a major research project led by the academic behind the award-winning Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds series.
The partnership, a world first, is bringing academics from multiple disciplines at the university to study healthy ageing, particularly around loneliness. 
In the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 series a group of pre-school children shared their classroom with pensioners. By playing and working together the health and happiness of the health and happiness of the older group – some of them 80 years older than the children – drastically improved.
Guild Living, which plans to build 250 apartments on the former Homebase site off Pines Way, pictured below, will use the findings to drive its decision making around architectural design, technology, wellbeing and care across its pipeline of later-living communities.
The project comes as forecasts show that more than 10m people alive in the UK today can expect to see their 100th birthday compared to just 15,000 centurions currently alive.
However, ageing populations are creating new demands for technologies, products and services, including new care and different housing models.
In 2017 the government made ageing a key part of its industrial strategy, committing £400m to support research across the country.
Guild Living, owned by insurance giant Legal & General (L&G) wants to use robust research carried out with the University of Bath to design ‘age-friendly’ environments, communities and care programmes. It wants its scheme at Pines Way to serve as a blueprint for a string of developments across the country.
The first element of the project will look at loneliness, described by medical professionals as a ‘silent epidemic’ that has profound medical implications.
More than 2m people in England over the age of 75 live alone and more than a million older people say they go for a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member.
It is being led by visiting University of Bath Professor Malcolm Johnson, who featured on Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds.
The first project currently underway by the partnership explores the causes and impact of emotional loneliness in older people living in Australia and Britain.
Detailed, qualitative data is being sourced from individuals residing in later-living communities, drawing from in-depth, systematic interviews about people’s experiences of attachment, close relationships, loneliness and the transition to retirement community living.
The research aims to identify interventions and support which can improve health and independence, whilst significantly reducing social isolation.
Results of the study will be used to drive development decisions and adapted into bespoke programmes, rolled out across Guild Living’s communities.
The research will study how architecture – buildings and environment – and connectivity – tools that help people relate and communicate – impact on loneliness.
Prof Malcolm Johnson said: “As a youth-oriented society, we need to recognise that people are living longer and, consequentially, ‘old age’ is happening much later.
“The dominant feature of old age care is looking after people’s health and safety, yet all too often people are being left in their own homes and on their own, with minimal human contact.
“This risks physical, emotional and cognitive decline. Our research will investigate what interventions we can make to reinstate people's confidence, tackle one of the biggest killers, loneliness, and shift our culture towards valuing – rather than ostracising – people in their older years.”
The Guild Living concept is to develop high-specification retirement schemes close to city centres which will bring together members of the community.
Residents will live independently but within a safe, purpose-built environment with 24-hour support available if required.
Subject to planning consent, the scheme will include a restaurant, physiotherapy gym and pool, wellness centre, children’s nursery and retail spaces for local businesses – all open to the local community.
Guild Living founder Eugene Marchese said: “With an ageing population and a growing social care crisis, Britain has an opportunity to embrace radical change – not just in housing or care – but how we treat older people.
“Guild Living’s academic approach to design, development, operations and care is motivated by a fundamental commitment to drive forward change in how we live in later years, driving by robust research.
“Our partner, Legal & General, shares this vision, and has the capital and long term commitment to revolutionise the way we age. University of Bath is one of the premier institutions in ageing research and is the perfect partner for us as we begin our journey to tackle ageism across the spectrum.”
Pictured, from left: Guild Living co-founder and CEO Michael Eggington; University of Bath pro vice-chancellor (research) Jonathan Knight; University of Bath visiting professor Prof Malcolm Johnson; Guild Living co-founder and director Eugene Marchese; and Ben Rosewall, head of investment – later living, Legal & General Capital 
