From carbon reduction to care quality: a stakeholder-informed agenda for decarbonizing care homes

Reducing carbon emissions in care homes is not just an environmental goal; it is also a care-quality issue. Care homes have received far less attention than hospitals, despite being long-term living environments where older adults depend on buildings and organizational systems for comfort, safety, and wellbeing. Residents are especially susceptible to poor indoor environmental conditions, heat, cold, and service disruption. Drawing on the emerging literature and informed by recent stakeholder consultation with the care home sector, this Forum paper argues that decarbonization in care homes should be reframed as a gerontological care-quality priority rather than treated solely as an environmental or technical issue. The evidence base remains narrow, focused mainly on energy and emissions rather than on how low-carbon changes affect residents, staff, and the viability of care. We propose a stakeholder-informed conceptual model spanning four interrelated domains: the built environment; material and supply systems; workforce capability and culture; and governance and measurement. Reframing care home decarbonization in these terms offers a more credible basis for implementation, policy development, and future gerontological research.