The share of the over-65 population is expected to grow from 22.6% in 2018 to 34.3% in 2060
The real estate world must evolve to meet the care needs of seniors
More than 7 million people over 75 in Italy represent 11.5 percent of the total population. The population over 65 is expected to grow from 22.6 percent in 2018 to 34.3 percent in 2060. The Italian population is expected to grow significantly, with life expectancy increasing yearly. Consequently, the real estate world must evolve to meet seniors’ care needs by offering new residential models that also represent new real estate investment opportunities
Two residential real estate solutions dedicated to seniors
New residential facilities will emerge alongside the RSAs and will be characterized by buildings designed to fit in and integrate into the urban and social fabric, designed and built with an innovative, state-of-the-art concept. The difference lies in the needs of each senior
RSA
“The Rsa’s will continue to focus mainly on the elderly with a high degree of dependency, dementia, and both motor and cognitive non-self-sufficiency, providing increasingly medicalized care. Residences dedicated to the self-sufficient and semi-self-sufficient elderly who are experiencing the first signs of aging and wish to live safely in a protected setting will arise,” commented Roberto Tribuno, sole director of Health Invest, a facility with more than 20 years of experience and activity in the field of social and health care facilities.
Senior housing
Senior housing, which has already been successfully tested in the United States and northern European countries, is only now beginning to appear in the Italian reality and is “an alternative for those who are still self-sufficient (or almost self-sufficient) and wish to live independently. They are reassured that in case of need, they immediately have all the services and assistance they might need,” explained Tribuno, who spoke of an “intermediate solution between the complete autonomy of private housing and the assistance of an RSA.”
The characteristics of senior housing
Senior housing is a housing complex located in a residential area of the city, in proximity to all services (businesses, public offices, transportation), divided into mini-apartments equipped with a kitchen-living room, bedroom, and bathroom, specially designed for the self-sufficient and semi-self-sufficient elderly. They are similar to condominium residences with large communal spaces designed to promote socialization among the elderly: communal living rooms and multipurpose reading and recreation rooms, restaurant rooms, gymnasium, bar, cinema, swimming pool, laundry, infirmary, and outpatient clinic.
Investment opportunities
Facilities dedicated to seniors could be an exciting investment opportunity. In recent years, multiple funds and Real Estate Investors have invested in this sector in RSAs and clinics, showing a growing interest in senior housing.
