̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̧̱̱̱̱̱̱̱̱̱Sudha Mitra, a history teacher by profession, celebrated her 45th birthday recently. However the happiness that once she exhumed when she celebrated her birthday 15 years back was missing. The realisation that with every passing year she ages a little more, gnaws at her when she thinks about her future. Unmarried and childless, Sudha fears that she would not get the emotional support often required at an old age. Even though she is financially independent she is not sure if there are communities which would uplift her medical, physical and psychological needs during the sunset years of her life.

Our society is constantly growing and evolving and with that the stigma around retirement communities have also taken a back seat, evident from the fact that there is now, a growing trend among senior citizens who are opting to live in commercially developed and professionally managed facilities.

It is important to note that even as India is moving largely towards a predominately millennial country, a large number of its population is also composed of older people who are financially capable but are living alone.

In India, the population aged above 60 years has already breached the 100 million mark and is expected to be over 500 million by the end of this century. However, 'old' in today's world doesn't necessarily mean being dependent. This population over 60 are financially independent, but are aspiring for community living amidst modern amenities and an amicable environment that provides physical and medical support.

With the passage of time, a lot of our thinking has brought changes in social norms - earlier old age homes were considered as a social taboo- a last resort for old people because of the stigma attached towards it.

The census data of 2011 in India shows that 15 million elderly people were living alone and almost three-fourths of these were women. Non-profit organisation HelpAge India in its report titled 'The State of Elderly in India' expects the number of older people to reach 143 million by 2021.

If we look at the traditional model of care available for senior citizens, it was usually a joint family structure along with support of house helps that took care of the elderly.

Families are now nuclear largely in metro and tier 1 cities and with young people leaving their cities and moving to different states or countries in search for better opportunities, the need of the hour is to devise and innovate policies and amenities specifically targeted towards the older generation.

Real estate experts opine that changing social and economic factors accompanied by increased life expectancy are the key factors creating the need for a seperate real estate asset - senior living.

It is the need of the hour that real estate developers understand and acknowledge the unique requirements of the elderly while catering to the sector and not just that, sensitivities unique to Indian cultural aspects regarding how a senior citizen should be treated should also be respected.

An increasing number of developers are venturing into the senior living space of Indian market. While most of the projects being launched in this space are holistically dedicated to senior citizens, many developers are also launching integrated townships with a proportion of units dedicated to senior living. It is anticipated that most of these projects will thrive in tier II & III cities.

TYPES OF SENIOR LIVING ARRANGEMENT

Senior living arrangements cannot be simply classified as one type because it largely depends on the level of care and support required by the elderly. For this reason, age is one of the important factors to determine the type of arrangement that would be required. It has been noticed that with age, the level of disablement varies from one individual to another. It is quite possible that a person at age 80 can be physically fit but mentally requires support, whereas another elderly at 70 can be unable to perform physical activities but mentally fit. So, the level of attention and care at every stage varies immensely. All of this in mind, experts have categorised senior living broadly into three categories.

Independent Living

In a broader sense, an independent living unit is mostly like traditional housing, but is better designed to take care of senior residents. From the design point of view, it could be good lighting for better reading and mobility. Bathrooms and kitchens made in such a way that would not cause any strain and also accompany wheelchairs and walkers. Wider hallways and doors, better flooring to prevent skidding. At an older age, socialization is something that people seek immensely as it improves mental and health stature. Amenities such as senior living parks and various clubs like laughing clubs and all are usually available in these kinds of arrangements. The demography in independent living would be elderly people having impaired vision, lack of agility and hearing difficulty but who otherwise can do their routine work perfectly.

Assisted Living

In this kind of an arrangement, while everything like the design and amenities remains largely the same, the difference is the level of attention and care. This kind of living necessitates the need for care workers who help the residents to carry on their lives on a daily basis. The level of attention is more as they have to cater to elderly's dealing with frequent ailments and diseases such as acute arthritis, Alzheimer's or dementia to name a few. This category would require constant medication and routine medical examinations.

Trained Nursing Care

Residents opting here require a good deal of attention and assistance and that frequently when compared with the previous segments. They can need assistance with physical and mental disabilities or both. The requirement for care increases significantly at this stage and that also generates the need for rehabilitative therapies, constant monitoring, emergency medical services and occupational therapists.

From the real estate perspective, a developer should ensure that in a senior living establishment, all three arrangements should be provided as this will allow continued care of the residents across the different stages of life. Such communities would truly be able to address the needs of senior living and will provide a large demographic the amenities it needs. Even as a lot of developers in India are coming up on the space, it is still very limited in aspects of arrangements. Only a handful of corporate groups offer all-round care and service for the senior inhabitants.

Government norms for Senior Living

Real estate developers have to follow standard norms for senior living projects prescribed by the National Building Code (NBC), 'Model Building Bye Laws' (MBBL) and 'Harmonized Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment'. These are prescribed particularly for safe standards of living for disbaled and elderly persons. The norms that developers of senior living systems have to follow are:

Building Design

1) All buildings with more than one floor should have lifts, suitably sized to accommodate locomotion aids and equipped with audio visual signages and signalling systems

2) All internal and external spaces should enable free movement of wheelchairs

3) Use of easy grip door knobs and door handles

4) Ramps should be used to connect level changes and stairs be avoided as far as possible

5) Mandatory installation of Gas detection systems

6) All flooring, including bathrooms to be fitted with anti-skid tiles

7) 100% power backup including common areas

Services

1) 24X7 onsite ambulance with oxygen support

2) 24X7 water and electricity supply

3) Single window facilities and helpdesk to access the services of social welfare department and urban local body

4) Transport and mobility assistance including pick up and drop facility for nearby locations and electric vehicles such as e-carts for internal movements within the Retirement Home complex

5) Emergency rooms, equipped with medicines and medical accessories to accommodate two patients and an attendant

6) Emergency alarms and light controls at bedside and bathrooms

7) Monitoring through CCTV cameras on all floors and common areas

What are the Challenges faced in the sector

Experts opine that this kind of development would require large continuous land parcels which is one of the biggest challenges. The cost of land also is a big determinant because that would

Set the project's affordability. It is also important for the developer to establish a project in close proximity to full-service hospitals so that medical care can be easily accessible. At the present moment,Due to the high cost of land in major cities, it is tough to develop large campuses with amenities specifically suited for these residents.

THE WAY AHEAD

It is true that the potential for this segment in the real industry is immense, the concept even though old is something that is going to remain relevant. The Maintainence and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act of 2007, mandates that children will have to take care of their parents in old age and the state governments will have to establish proper old age homes which have all the necessary amenities. The standard real estate assets are witnessing a sluggish trend in the market, which is leading developers to venture into the senior living space in the Indian market.

Even as many developers are launching projects of integrated township, a significant portion increasingly are also devoted to senior living. As per experts, it has been anticipated that these kind of projects will do very well in tier II and III cities,

The impressive growth projected for the industry in India seems quite possible as the market in developed countries for such products is sizable. It is an established asset class in most developed economies.

The need is accounted for by the Indian government too, evident from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, who are already committed to building an inclusive society which also incorporates senior citizens. Coupled with that the government acknowledges that the state-run old age homes across the country have very poor infrastructure and are already heavily burdened. Industry estimates indicate that over 53% of the senior living projects are in the southern cities followed by western and northern regions accounting for 25% and 22% respectively.

The sector is currently in a nascent stage, and it is in this stage of learning where the sector has to figure out the best solutions. This segment in the real estate market is surely going to be thriving and will open out various avenues for developers going ahead . Not just for developers, this will also drive growth, productivity, investments and employment in other sectors like healthcare, construction, hospitality and many more. The employment generation capacity of this sector is immense as it will generate need for trained and skilled manpower such as doctors, paramedical staff, trained nurses, care workers and more. In the current scenario, where India is nowhere close to achieving the target it had set for employment generation to cater to its massive population, there is an urgent need for paying greater attention to this segment.