Building Back Better: Residential Retrofit Options for Older Australians in Bushfire Prone Areas

This chapter investigates barriers to older people improving the bushfire resilience of their homes, using examples from the areas affected by the 2019 Black Summer Bushfires in Australia. The chapter explores the implications of people ageing in place and how the resilience of older people is affected by climate change and wildfires. With often lower financial and physical capacity to retrofit their homes, older people are vulnerable to losing their homes to fire damage and can struggle to make the transition to sustainable built environments. The importance and benefits of retrofitting to older people in creating a more sustainable and resilient living environment are discussed, including preliminary notes on research to develop a toolkit to aid older people's decision-making regarding retrofitting and bushfire preparation options.