“It is cosy, to my taste and filled with happiness”. This is what one respondent said, in the recent Home is Where the Heart is Survey, when asked what they love about their home.
At Care Connect, we know the value people place on their homes and the emotional and practical benefits that your own home provides. Importantly, we understand the value of being able to remain living independently at home, and to be empowered to do so safely and securely, with quality advice and guidance.
For half of the people surveyed, the decision to move out of their current home is not one that they can foresee, either in the near or distant future. 50% of people surveyed, said that they would rather not move or would hate to move, and only 13% said they would love to move.
Most people had plans to stay in their current home for at least the next seven years, and for many, for the next 20 or more years. Overwhelmingly, for those aged 70 and over, 34% said they plan on staying in their home for at least the next 20 years.
Our purpose, at Care Connect, is to enable people to live their life, their way, and our core business is all about ensuring that this can happen, for those who choose it.
For many, a home is not just bricks and mortar. It’s about the memories we create, who we create them with and the sense of completeness that this brings into peoples lives.
So, what does that look like for those who completed the survey?
Here is what some of the people surveyed, said about their homes:
It has character, warmth, and “feels” just right.
That is where the family spends the most time together.
I downsized so it is easy to maintain and feels like a warm hug.
The contents of our homes certainly play a key role in making a house a home too, with 78%
indicating that what makes their dwelling feel truly like their own home, is their furniture.
Attitudes like this are held even more deeply as people age. Nearly half, 42%, of all respondents identified an emotional connection to their home, saying that they really liked or loved the association their home has with memories and sentimental aspects of their lives.
The older an Australian, the more likely they are to value and really like or love the physical features of their home, including the location and the view. This was true for 72% of those over 70 and 65% of those aged 51-69 also saying this. Certainly, what comes across in the survey results, is, that familiarity and consistency are important for peoples’ sense of comfort, and ongoing quality of life.
For respondents to the survey, this meant many things. Most notably, it was about being able to simply do the normal, fun, recreational things that many people like to enjoy at home, either on their own or with loved ones.
It is MINE – it just wraps around me and my dog.
It is the place I spend most time in and I love the furniture and the feel of it.
Where we watch movies together, play games, eat pizza and relax.
It’s where the kids and I play games, do jigsaws, snuggle up to watch TV
and movies.
Just looking through this list of what people said they value about their homes, it’s easy to see why Care Connect is enthusiastic about linking people to the best possible options, support and services, so that they can continue to enjoy what is most important to them, for many years to come.
The Home is Where the Heart is Survey was undertaken by NRMA Insurance, in partnership with McCrindle social researchers.
Read the full survey results here:
The Home is Where the Heart is Survey