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

Renovating homes to be senior-friendly and accessible

A key basis for living a long life in your own home is an accessibility-focused renovation. The main aim is to remove hazards and create enough space for care work or movement with wheelchairs and walking aids. The kitchen and bathroom in particular need to be extensively adapted to changing needs, as they pose the greatest risk of 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.

Access routes to the home may also need to be adapted. Stairs can be overcome by installing a stairlift. Wheelchair users depend on ramps and elevators of sufficient dimensions. 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, installing a personal emergency response system is recommended. This gives seniors who live alone a great deal of additional security. You can read more about emergency call systems here on our blog.

Home care provided by family members

A large proportion of people in need of care in Germany continue to be cared for by relatives in their own homes. How easy it is to provide care at home 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. There is also the option of applying for a care allowance. Health insurance funds also offer various courses in which relatives or volunteers can expand their knowledge and skills.

Care at home - what everyone involved should know

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

However, it should not be forgotten that this decision entails major changes for everyone involved. The relatives providing care may also have to completely reorganize their lives. This is especially true when round-the-clock care is required.

Therefore, plan ahead with your family and bear in mind that the relatives providing care will have to change their daily routines significantly. Sometimes care is needed during both the day and the night. Those who also have a job alongside providing care will have very little free time left. Depending on the intensity of care required, spontaneous get-togethers may hardly be possible anymore.

Anyone who cares for relatives takes on a great deal of responsibility. The psychological consequences 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 relative. Remember that financial support from the long-term care insurance funds may be available and that home care 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, these usually bring together several different families and seniors of different age groups.

Usually, each group has its own living quarters. In addition, there are communal rooms 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 grocery shopping for retirees, while the latter help with childcare and light household chores. 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 multigenerational house can only be successful if the residents get along and give as much as they take.

Naturally, care services can also be integrated into the routines of this type of housing to provide residents with additional support.

The senior shared apartment

Why should only young students live together in a shared apartment? The benefits of shared living can also be valuable in old age. Not only can residents save money on electricity and rent, but they can also help one another and organize their everyday lives together. This prevents isolation, and if something happens, there is almost always someone there to help or call for assistance.

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

The residents’ physical and mental fitness also affects how easy or challenging living together is. However, if care needs increase, care services can also be brought in to support the shared household.

There are two types of shared accommodation for seniors: resident-managed shared housing, in which the residents are responsible for everything themselves, and provider-managed shared housing, which is run by a service provider and monitored by the government.

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 and errands to demanding nursing tasks.

A frequently booked service is, for example, Meals on Wheels. As people grow older, going 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 neither have to shop nor cook or wash dishes themselves.

These service providers not only save customers the trip to the store - they can also help 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, or conditions such as diabetes are of course taken into account.

Incidentally, 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 workers come from Eastern Europe. However, they are not actually professional caregivers. 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 rooms in exchange for care and household 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 tasks to basic personal care assistance - for example, help with getting dressed. Of course, these helpers are not professionals. Every person is different, and it is difficult to predict in advance whether the chemistry between you will be right or how well the tasks will be carried out.

Assisted living with adjustable levels of support

Assisted living is a form of housing that can combine living in an apartment designed for seniors with the services of a care provider. Although such residential facilities are usually affiliated with a 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 known as service-oriented living. The care services in assisted living can also be tailored to the residents' needs.

Partial inpatient care - day care and night care

Partial inpatient care is suitable 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 rest.

Some people require complex care or therapy measures, but not around the clock. For them, temporary use of inpatient day or night care may also be advisable. This does not have to be a permanent arrangement either. For example, if rehabilitation measures have been successfully completed after an operation, those affected may be able to live completely independently again.

Nursing and residential care homes

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

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

Naturally, life in a retirement home can no longer be organized as independently as it once was at home. The times of day and night, as well as mealtimes, are subject to the care staff's schedule. To provide all residents with the best possible care, efficiency takes precedence over individual preferences. Nevertheless, people requiring extensive care or living 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 daily life. Social interaction is another factor. Being able to spend more time with people their own age and even make new friends has helped many seniors flourish again in a retirement home.

Incidentally, care in a retirement home abroad is also an option. These are almost always considerably 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. In terms of quality, these facilities can certainly keep up with German homes.

Such low prices are possible for German retirees because of the care allowance, which the state continues to pay even when they live in another EU country. However, long-term care insurance providers no longer cover care services in this case. Added to this 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 opportunities and services - the care team can better address individual needs. However, a senior living residence is clearly the most expensive of all possible forms of housing in old age.