BFW-Studie - European Union of Developers and House Builders

Housing for Senior Citizens
Conclusion
Adaptation of living space as a task for the future
The number of elderly people and people requiring nursing care in Europe is growing
permanently. A high demand for housing suitable for senior citizens, the specific needs of
senior citizens, the partial requirement for assistance, the need for outpatient help in the
case of emergencies, as well as the pursuit of continuing independence make accommodation
suitable for the elderly, especially in a normal residential and living context, a major
task of the developers. The public sector and social insurance funds will not be able to
bear the burden of nursing and accommodating the elderly in homes and nursing institutions
for long. The cost pressure is rising on the one hand, while the share of senior citizens
in Europe is growing disproportionately in Europe on the other.
As not all people requiring assistance can be accommodated in nursing homes, an extremely
important role will be entrusted to developers in Europe as potential providers of
low-barrier homes which cater to the needs of the elderly. Programmes to convert and
adapt living space to the needs of the elderly will not only first be undertaken by governments;
initiatives will also be launched by developers to cope with rising demand.
The homes must meet the needs of senior citizens as well as take into account the risks
and potential restrictions in old age. This is compounded by the need for support services,
which can be adapted flexibly to the needs of the elderly. The Western and Northern
European countries in particular are taking a leadership position here.
The awareness of the need for an adaptation of the housing stock to cater for the elderly
is growing. However, as only approximately one percent of all homes in Germany meet
the standard set for suitability for the elderly or the disabled, while an additional 800,000
of these homes will nonetheless be needed by 2020, financial support is specifically needed
from the government so that this challenge can be met.
Looking at the other countries in Europe, Germany can particularly learn from the adaptation
of individual living space in Great Britain and the Netherlands. This future task can
be met in affordable conditions for the social security system through state support for independent
living in old age with low threshold care offers.
To summarise, it can be said that accommodation and care concepts for living in old age
and for pre-in-patient care in Europe must be developed to cope with this future task. In
addition to public sector financing assistance, there must be further initiatives by developers
to adapt the housing stock to the needs of senior citizens.
BFW-Study 2007 31