Homes for the elderly: high expectations

SPONSORED CONTENT FROM PATRIZIA

First the good news. Life expectancy has increased dramatically. Over the last century, it has doubled, from an average of 40 to 80 years.

However, the likelihood that we’ll experience a long and extended period of old age dependent on the care of others has also risen. Many of us will have no choice but to move into a residential care home at some point.

The demand for homes is changing the supply, and investment opportunities, too.  What are the trends in the care sector for residents and investors?

Each home resident requires and expects an individualized type of care, which affects the criteria for modern residential care homes. Sheltered housing and assisted-living homes, where residents live in barrier-free, self-contained accommodation, are popular. Residential care facilities where more support is provided are also in higher demand.

So, too, are nursing homes, which offer the additional support of qualified nursing personnel. Many homes provide a combination of these services and facilities, highlighted by the clear trend towards a comprehensive system, where residential and outpatient services are connected.

Professional and pleasant; safe and secure

Whichever option is chosen, the residents and their families rightly expect a high quality of care, and also a pleasant living environment.

Residential homes are responsible for the most vulnerable people in our society. It’s crucial that they are run by professional owners or organisations

A professionally-run home with skilled personnel is the most important criterion of all.

Residential homes are responsible for the most vulnerable people in our society. It’s crucial that they are run by professional owners or organizations.

Continuity of care is therefore key, as well as a safe and secure environment that offers cosy and comfortable surroundings. People should feel at home in the home.

Robust, sustainable and specialized models

In the interest of residents and investors, care homes also need to provide robust and sustainable models in areas where there is a demand for homes, and also access to a pool of skilled nursing personnel.

Investments in residential care homes by PATRIZIA ensure the above criteria are all met. One such location is Brandenburg an der Havel, close to Berlin, which provides 128 beds and also offers additional specialized services for dementia patients.

Another is located in Ludwigshafen, on the banks of the Rhine river close to Mannheim. This nursing home offers 135 beds, as well as a special unit for dementia patients in a dementia-friendly environment, providing features that help with visual, hearing and mobility impairments.

In Heppenheim, an area with increasing need for care homes not far from the financial hub Frankfurt, PATRIZIA has identified one home that offers a combination of residential care facilities and sheltered housing, as well as embedded retail units. This ensures that the home is an excellent investment opportunity. Along with the homes in Brandenburg and Ludwigshafen, it has also been incorporated into the property fund “PATRIZIA PflegeInvest Deutschland I”. 

Crucially, all three homes are leased long-term to highly reputable established operators in the sector.

Professional residential care homes and nursing homes will enable more people to enjoy a longer, more independent lifestyle in their old age. The elderly deserve to determine how they spend their retirement.

Having a choice about the kind of home where they live is an essential part of that determination. Institutional investors can only gain where established experts have made an informed investment choice for the residential care properties.

Jan-Hendrik Jessen, head of fund management operated properties at PATRIZIA Immobilien AG