Housing options for seniors - how would you like to live in old age?

Adapting apartments and houses to be senior-friendly and accessible

A key basis for living a long life in your own home is adapting it to be accessible. Above all, this involves removing potential hazards and creating enough space for care activities or for moving around with wheelchairs and walking aids. The kitchen and bathroom in particular must be extensively adapted to changing needs, as these areas have the greatest potential for accidents at home.

We describe in detail what a senior-friendly bathroom looks like in our blog post on the subject. You can read the article by clicking here.

The routes to and from the home may also need to be adapted. Stairs can be overcome by installing a stairlift. Wheelchair users rely on ramps and lifts of sufficient size. If the current home cannot be adapted to be accessible, moving may be necessary.

To ensure that help can always be called in an emergency, it is advisable to install an emergency call system for the home. This provides a significant sense of security, especially for pensioners who live alone. You can read more about emergency call systems here in our blog.

Home care provided by family members

A large proportion of people in need of care in Germany are still cared for by family members in their own homes. How easy home care is naturally depends on factors such as a barrier-free home and the intensity of care required. In many cases, round-the-clock care is ultimately not necessary. Helping with cleaning and shopping or occasionally assisting with getting dressed and undressed should still be manageable.

The higher the care grade, the greater the care burden. It is possible to apply for care allowance. Health insurance funds also offer various courses in which family caregivers or volunteers can expand their knowledge and skills.

Care at home - what everyone affected should know

Providing care at home through family members offers several advantages. People in need of care can remain in familiar surroundings - either staying at home or moving in with relatives - and have people around them whom they know well. Home care can also be less expensive than accommodation in a nursing home or hiring a home care service.

However, it should not be forgotten that this decision involves major changes for everyone affected. Family caregivers may also have to completely reorganize their lives. This applies especially when round-the-clock care is required.

Therefore, plan ahead with your family and bear in mind that family caregivers will have to change their daily routines considerably. Sometimes care is needed both day and night. Those who also have a job alongside caregiving will have very little free time. Depending on the intensity of care required, spontaneous plans will scarcely be possible.

Caring for family members involves taking on a great deal of responsibility. The psychological effects should not be underestimated. For example, those who care for their own parents suddenly find themselves in a completely unfamiliar relationship with these people they know so well. In cases of dementia or Alzheimer's, they also witness the slow deterioration of the person's identity. In addition to the psychological strain, there is also a physical burden when help is needed with getting up, washing, or using the toilet.

So think carefully about whether you feel physically and mentally strong and fit enough to take on the intensive care of a family member. Remember that financial support from long-term care insurance funds may be available, and outpatient services can take some of the work off your hands.

Otherwise, it may be advisable to choose one of the other possible forms of housing for seniors.

The multigenerational house

This social project essentially revives forms of housing that are becoming increasingly rare in today's fast-paced world. In the past, it was normal for several generations to live under one roof.

Today, this principle is being taken up again in various projects. However, it is usually several different families and seniors of different age groups who come together.

Usually, each group has its own living quarters. In addition, there are communal rooms that are used by all residents of the multigenerational house. Living together should work in such a way that all parties support one another according to their abilities and needs.

For example, working people could run errands and do the shopping for retirees, while the latter help with childcare and light household tasks. The "older people" can also pass on their life experience to the younger generation.

Systems in which assistance and favors are offset against one another naturally also provide grounds for disputes. The multifamily house can only be a success if the residents get along and give as much as they take.

Care services can of course also be integrated into the routines of this type of housing to provide residents with additional support.

The shared apartment for seniors

Why should only young students live together in a shared apartment? The benefits of shared living can also be valuable in old age. This not only makes it possible to save money on electricity and rent - residents can help one another and organize their daily lives together. They do not become socially isolated, and if something happens, there is almost always someone there who can help or call for assistance.

A shared apartment for seniors is often organized around a central communal room and offers each resident a private room. Whether a shared apartment for seniors works depends greatly on how well the participating parties get along and how well they can organize themselves together.

The physical and mental fitness of the residents also affects how easy or demanding living together is. However, if more care is needed, care services can also be brought in to support the shared apartment.

There are two types of shared apartments for seniors: self-managed shared apartments, in which the residents are responsible for everything themselves, and provider-managed shared apartments, which are operated by a service provider and monitored by the state.

Home care with professional care services and the like

If no relatives or volunteer caregivers can or want to provide care at home, professional care services can be brought in. Their services can range from simple cleaning services and errands to demanding nursing care tasks.

A frequently booked service, for example, is Meals on Wheels. As people get older, shopping becomes increasingly difficult, and the loads they can still carry become smaller. Meals on Wheels is offered by welfare organizations such as the Red Cross or Caritas. Customers do not have to shop, cook, or wash dishes themselves.

These service providers not only save customers the trip to the store - they can also ensure a healthy and balanced diet. Good providers are equipped to meet a wide range of customer needs.

Usually, one meal per day is delivered. Delivery services provide hot and cold meals, frozen meals, and, if needed, even puréed meals. Intolerances, allergies, and conditions such as diabetes are of course taken into account.

Many supermarkets also offer the option of placing orders and having them delivered to your home. However, you still have to cook for yourself.

Foreign domestic helpers for 24-hour care

Foreign domestic helpers are often hired as a cost-effective option for caring for older people. Most of these helpers come from Eastern Europe. However, they are not actually qualified care workers. Primarily, domestic helpers do the shopping, clean, or cook. At most, they can take on light care tasks. The main advantage is that retirees are no longer alone.

A similar form of housing for seniors is offering living space in exchange for care and assistance. In this case, retirees let younger people (for example, students) live with them. The “subtenants” do not pay in cash; instead, they earn their accommodation by helping with household chores.

The support can range from simple errands and cleaning work to basic care assistance - for example, help with getting dressed. Of course, these are not professionals. Every person is different, and it is difficult to know in advance whether you will get along well or how well the assistance will be provided.

Assisted living with adjustable levels of support

Assisted living is a form of housing that can combine living in an apartment suitable for seniors with the services of a home care provider. Although such housing facilities are usually affiliated with a home care provider, seniors can also live there without using care services.

For many residents, it is enough to live in an accessible apartment and know that professional help is nearby in an emergency. This is referred to as service-assisted living. The care services in assisted living can also be adjusted according to the residents' needs.

Semi-residential care - day care and night care

Semi-residential care is a suitable option for relieving family members who provide care at home. The person in need of care is transferred to a care facility only temporarily - for example, during the day or overnight. The rest of the time, they live at home. Family caregivers thereby gain valuable free time to work, run errands, or relax.

Some people require complex nursing or therapy measures - but not around the clock. For them, the temporary use of semi-residential care may also be advisable. This does not have to become a permanent arrangement. If, for example, rehabilitation measures have been successfully completed after an operation, those affected may be able to live completely independently again.

Nursing homes and assisted living homes

Nursing and assisted living homes are specialized facilities that can provide care and intensive nursing around the clock. If intensive care is needed that no family member can provide, or none of the types of housing presented here is possible, there is often no alternative to a care home in old age. There are many different providers of nursing homes, offering various options for care and support.

In general, it is advisable to compare providers, visit various facilities, and get a good overview of the overall package before deciding on a retirement home or nursing home. In addition to the services offered, the location, for example in a city or in the countryside, or the distance from the previous home may also play a role (how far away do the children and grandchildren live?).

Naturally, life in a retirement home can no longer be organized as independently as it once was at home. The day and night schedules and mealtimes are governed by the routine of the care staff. To provide all residents with the best possible care, efficiency takes precedence over individual preferences. Nevertheless, people requiring extensive care or those with dementia benefit greatly from this form of housing.

In addition to professional nursing services, medical assistance is never far away, and various entertainment programs are offered to structure residents' daily lives. Social interaction is another factor. Being able to spend more time with people of the same age and even make new friends has helped many seniors flourish again in retirement homes.

Incidentally, care in a retirement home abroad is also an option. These are almost always significantly cheaper than German nursing homes, where you must expect to pay at least 2,500 to 3,000 euros per month. Retirement homes in Poland and other Eastern European countries sometimes cost only one third of this amount. These facilities can also certainly match German homes in terms of quality.

Such affordable prices are possible for German pensioners because of the long-term care allowance, which the state continues to pay even when they are accommodated elsewhere in the EU. However, long-term care insurance providers no longer cover care services in this case. Another factor is the distance from family, who may have to travel a long way for every visit.

The senior living residence

Anyone who values luxurious accommodation and can afford it could also move into a senior living residence. These combine the care and support options of a nursing home with the amenities of a good hotel. There are more leisure activities and services, and the care team can respond better to individual needs. However, a senior living residence is clearly the most expensive of all possible forms of housing in old age.