to water(pm). More and more seniors – but also enough age-appropriate living space? In the district of Giessen, the number of people older than 65 could grow to 67,400 by 2035 – that is 31 percent more than in 2017. Their share of the population would then be 24 percent (2017 it was 19 Percent). The IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU) has pointed this out. The union relies on a demographic forecast by the CIMA Institute for Regional Economics – and calls for more efforts to be made to create housing suitable for senior citizens.
There is also some catching up to do with renovation
“Lift instead of stairs, wider doors for rollators and wheelchairs, barrier-free showers – only a small part of the apartments in the district is suitable for the rapidly growing generation over 65. That has to change,” says Doris Hammes. The district chairwoman of IG BAU Mittelhessen speaks of a “demographic necessity”.
It would not only be necessary to build additional senior citizen apartments. There is also a lot of catching up to do with the age-appropriate renovation of existing apartments. “If the pensioner generation is not given greater consideration, there is a threat of a gray housing shortage in many places in a few years,” says Hammes. This problem is already exacerbated by the corona pandemic, because older people in particular have to spend a large part of the day at home.
The state credit institute for reconstruction is offering grants and loans with its “Age-appropriate renovation” program. The funding volume of 150 million euros this year is not enough, criticizes IG BAU. The federal government must at least double the funding to promote senior living. However, it doesn’t look like that at the moment: According to the budget, only 130 million euros are available for the age-appropriate renovation next year.
In the end, the quality of life of thousands of people in the Gießen district is at stake. “It cannot be that a pensioner only has to go to an expensive nursing home because outpatient care fails because of the senior-friendly equipment in his own apartment,” said Hammes.
– –
