Cold, Damp And Mould Case Study Assessment Answer

Introduction

Human beings' health is an adjustable entity and, as proven by scientists, one of the many life forms with extreme evolutionary characteristics. The evolution of humankind throughout the ages has many factors, especially civilization. The human body is prone to staying in warm and dry climates rather than damp and cold temperatures. The body's association abruptly with a wet and cold environment causes the body to refuse the environment and thereby causes illnesses. The wet and cold climates felt in UK homes are mostly the cause of Asthma, cough, cold, and lung diseases (Wang et al., 2019). The aged people are the most affected by such types of environment. In London alone, as has been examined, 6% of the houses fall in the category of damp and cold. This is a very perturbing situation considering the cold climatic conditions prevalent at the place.

Background of the scenario

Many of the people of London stay in private rented homes to ease their mode of accommodation. London has an expensive real estate market, thereby compelling the middle and low-income people to stay in rented accommodations. The percentage of damp and cold homes in the city itself amongst the privately rented accommodations is 6%. Most of the higher age group people have no place to go and have a low-income source, thereby making do with cold and damp homes. One particular case of a 70-year-old man with a meager income of £ 577 a month stayed on the ground floor of such a privately rented accommodation (London Assembly Environment Committee, 2019). The building's ground floor had little ventilation, and the older adult had to dry his clothes inside due to lack of space. The whole of his bedroom was covered in moss, which he says he got cleaned, but the moss formed again. The drawing room of the house also bore patches of mold and dampness. The seventy-year-old switches on the radiators at his disposal, but within one hour of switching off the radiator, the room gets cold again (Caillaud et al., 2018). The septuagenarian income does not allow him to let the radiator be on for most of the night, and hence he is compelled to stay in the cold, damp room. The man's inability to afford a full-time radiator causes health problems to aggravate risks and can also be fatal. 

Case evaluation of the scenario

The case of the seventy-year-old man staying in a damp and moldy rented apartment brings out a few facts that are shocking and dreadful. The income of the older man per month is £ 577 (Powell-Hoyland et al., 2016). This economic poverty is the source of his energy paucity resulting in unhygienic living conditions. The man thinks opening the windows will aggravate the cold temperatures in the house. The thought is wrong, and on the contrary, to the belief of the individual, a well-ventilated place lowers the risk of the dampness of the house. The other aspect of drying clothes indoors is a compulsion for the older man and hence is irreparable. However, keeping the room ventilated while drying clothes could reduce the dampness in the house. The house's inbuilt system, causing more heat to drain quickly, is because of the low insulation system of the homes built before 1990 with poor insulation resulting in heat drain or higher expenditure on the dweller's energy context (Howieson, 2018). The dwelling units built at that time were insulated with a rather old type of insulation, which has worn out the durability of its efficacious period. The renters did not perceive the importance of changing the insulation between the outer and inner walls, and hence the situation has worsened. The problem in the privately owned and dwelled houses is better since the owners have understood the need to re-fix the insulation and therefore are free of dampness and mold (Wang et al., 2020). The curious case study also suggests that the rate of moisture in the local authorities' structures face more dampness and mold. The main issue here arises of fuel poverty, which means that a particular resident of a house spends more on the average fuel consumption of a household to keep it warm (ADE, 2021). This excessive spending on fuel cost causes the family to go below the poverty line, and therefore, the family is to curtail the fuel consumption usage to warm their houses. Such houses are in a state of fuel poverty. The quantum of such houses is relatively high in the London City itself.

Explanation of the issues and relationship between the health, housing, and environment across various settings of the housing 

The health conditions of the people staying in damp, cold, and moldy apartments are bad. This needs no further justification as it has been time tested that such people are more likely to suffer from cold, cough, allergies, and lung disorders. The demographic factor controlling most of the situation is the poor economic condition of most people who earn little and thereby are subject to utterly bitter living standards and fuel poverty (Gautier and Charpin, 2017). The immense, dense population among the city's private rented accommodations is also a significant drawback to the accommodations' airiness. The windows' non-opening due to the myth belief among dwellers that the opening of doors and windows will chill the room also harms the house's dampness, thereby causing condensation. The poor living in such dingy houses, therefore, have a higher chance of falling ill. The economic disparity prevalent in the country among the rich and poor tends to increase and thereby causes the poor to lead unhealthy lives (Dutmer et al., 2018). The importance of reducing inequality in society is a mandatory aspect of ensuring that the poor of the city who earn do not live in such horrible conditions endangering the lives of themselves and their families and children.

Demonstrating the housing as a significant element of inequality affecting health  

The primary element of inequality causing the disparity amongst the haves and have-nots is the economic gap. The same aspect reflects the residents' lives and compels the poor to live in damp and dingy accommodations. However, the rich stay in lavish accommodations and can spend enough on the insulation and heating of the rooms, thereby leading a healthy and luxurrooms' ious life (Lu et al., piction of the rich and poor's enormous differences in the dwelling units' differences looks like a significant element of inequality amongst the people. However, the difference experienced is the result of the main inequality factor that is economic disparity. 

Analyzing the proposed interventions

The proposed interventions towards the unhygienic living conditions of the poor and fuel needy populace of the country is a long list of do and don'ts. All of the interventions are neither possible nor economically viable, considering the people residing in them. The room's ventilation systems' importance is to be improved by public awareness and breaking the myth that closed windows and doors help retain room temperature is to be broken (Longhurst and Hargreaves, 2019). The cost of energy required for heating households needs to be reduced. The government can also implement housing plans and restrictions on building new houses or apartments with no drying space or less ventilated rooms. This will dissuade the builders from complying with the regulations, thereby improving citizens' overall health.

Identifying how the primary stakeholders can be influenced to implement relevant housing based actions

The main stakeholders in the present scenario of implementing the housing based actions are the ones who are staying in them. These modalities' direct profit will benefit the dwelling units residents who are lingering in the low economic conditions. The direct beneficiaries are in no position to make demands, and therefore the indirect stakeholders are required to preempt the actions. The secondary stakeholders are the healthcare department, mayor of the city, councilmen who seek votes, and the countries governance (Sovacool et al., 2020). All these stakeholders will benefit from the approaches defined above. The popularity of the councilmen will rise. The mayor of the city will be popular. The health department will be satisfied by not taking care of children and older adults suffering from diseases due to dampness and cold. The government will benefit by improving the people's living conditions and will also empower and enrich their stance of striving to alleviate inequality in the country. The significant stakeholders helping from the same can be motivated by citing the factors and making the populace staying in the damp moldy homes to raise their voices and opine to the councilmen that this practical step towards enriching the life-style will ensure more popularity amongst the poor and needy class. The health department already has a lot in hand due to the recent pandemic and the second wave's hard-hit. They would be happy to let some off their plate load how small or tiny this might be (Cherry et al., 2017). A running nose, cough are also sighted as signs of COVID 19, and the dreadful fear of the same will prevail, so the children suffering from these due to moldy homes will also be treated with similar suspicion. This level of load can be diminished if the steps of intervention are taken timely.

Evaluation of the housing strategies and interventions for better health outcomes

The housing strategies suggested are merely guidelines to arrest the problem of cold and moldy homes. The process of ensuring the new buildings are built with adequate space for drying clothes outside will provide no further condensation issue within the house, thereby eradicating 4% of damp dwellings (Boomsma et al., 2019). The percentage of buildings is so clumsy and built before 1990, causing cold and damp homes to consist of 2% of the homes (Agyekum et al., 2017). The propagation of the myth breaking will ensure a rise in awareness among the people suffering from such home problems, thereby ensuring that ventilation is duly dealt with. This causes amelioration of five-sixths of the problem, thereby providing a dry and warm atmosphere for all the people living in present-day damp households. Overall, the entire issue of wet, cold, and moldy houses can be removed and thereby improve upon the health of the cityscape's low living people. The measures proposed have been identified, keeping in perspective the economic crisis caused due to COVID-19 pandemic and being evaluated to be successful. The issues discussed in implementing the proposals will come mostly from the owners of the private rental houses who are undoubtedly well-established in the economic strata, thereby coping with the additional expenditures. 

Summary

The entire blog aims to decipher the condition of homes in the UK concerning cold, damp, and moldy homes. The particular scenario of an older man residing on the ground floor of an outbuilding and the hassles he faces and the living standard's condition has been discussed in length. The generic and particular causes of the damp and moldiness found in the houses have been elucidated. The feasible interventions have been discussed, and the ways to persuade the stakeholders towards performing their roles in favor of the intervention measures have also been highlighted. The efficacy of the standards has been discussed.

Recommendations 

The health conditions of the people living in abject poverty in the UK cities can be enhanced by providing cold and damp free accommodation that is viable by the stakeholders. The insulation of the buildings built before 1990 is to be repaired or replaced mandatorily. The problems of condensation of water in the houses due to the drying of clothes must be avoided. The efficacious re-insulation of the already damp homes will eliminate damps in the places built before 1990. The cost-cutting of the energy charges is also required to ensure warm and dry homes. This aspect will reduce the dilapidated state of the looks of the buildings and ensure a better-looking environment. The interceptive measures have been duly considered and are recommended for implementation. All the intervention proposals will definitely wipe out the entire problem of damp and moldy homes in the UK.