Today is International Day of Older Persons, and this year it feels particularly fitting that we are also celebrating 30 years of erosh.

For three decades, our work has been rooted in a simple belief: growing older should never mean losing your independence, your choices or your connection to the community around you.

Across independent living, sheltered housing, retirement housing and housing with care, we see every day the difference that the right home and the right support can make. Not simply in providing somewhere safe to live, but in enabling people to remain independent, build friendships, stay connected and continue living life on their own terms.

The theme for this year’s International Day of Older Persons is “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives.” As people live longer, the way we think about housing and support for later life has never been more important.

Much has changed since erosh began in 1996, and the sector will continue to change. For 30 years, we have been proud to work alongside the people and organisations delivering these services, sharing good practice, developing standards and supporting those working to improve the quality of housing and support available to older people.

So today we celebrate older people themselves, the lives they lead and the contribution they continue to make to our communities. And, in our 30th anniversary year, we also celebrate everyone across our sector who works every day to make independent living exactly that: independent living.