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Study: In the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen there is a shortage of 3200 apartments suitable for senior citizens - and they are too expensive

2021-08-01T18:05:32.709Z


In old age, some citizens face a double hurdle: Often the pension is not enough to pay the rent. In addition, very few apartments in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district are senior-friendly. According to a study, 3200 pieces are missing.


In old age, some citizens face a double hurdle: Often the pension is not enough to pay the rent.

In addition, very few apartments in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district are senior-friendly.

According to a study, 3200 pieces are missing.

District

- Almost a quarter of the German population is older than 65 years - and the trend is rising: statisticians expect senior citizens to be around 30 percent by 2060.

In old age, most people want to live in their own four walls for as long as possible, this is proven time and again by surveys.

This requires apartments suitable for the elderly with stepless access, wide doors, handles and space for walkers etc. The problem: Apartments that meet these requirements are rare and expensive.

District of Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Families often live in age-appropriate apartments

This is particularly true of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. This is the result of a study by the Pestel Institute based in Hanover. Its head, Matthias Günther, speaks of a “double shock for tenants” who are getting older: “Enough money for living and an age-appropriate apartment - these are the two points that every tenant should think about early on.” In order for this to succeed, it is essential especially to the landlords. Günther gives very specific figures for the district: The average net rent in Garmisch-Partenkirchen should be 8.50 euros and in Murnau 8 euros per square meter per month. In all other municipalities, the upper limit is 7.50 euros. Prices that are currently extremely exceeded. A survey by the real estate portal Scout 24 comes to the conclusion thatthat in southern Bavaria the peak is 13.90 euros for the square meter.

The number of apartments in the region between Mittenwald and Spatzenhausen that are considered senior-friendly is, according to estimates by the Pestel Institute, which sees itself as a service provider for municipalities, companies and associations, at a maximum of 1200. “But only in around half of the Senior citizens actually live in older people too.

Age-appropriate apartments without thresholds and with wide doors are also attractive for families: where there is space for a rollator or wheelchair, a stroller can also be used.

Low-barrier apartments offer a living bonus - a luxury feature for living, ”says Günther.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen district: Far too few apartments for senior citizens - negative forecast

The need for senior housing in the district: enormous. “It is currently assumed that there are around 3800 households in which seniors live with restricted mobility. In other words, older people for whom a minimum barrier-free apartment is the prerequisite for as long as possible independent living, ”explains the head of the Pestel Institute. Since only around 600 of them are already living in a senior citizen's apartment, the need can be identified very specifically: there are currently around 3200 senior citizens' apartments missing, ”calculates Günther.

Maria Schulte (76) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of those who have been looking for an apartment that meets their needs and that is affordable for years. She doesn't want to read her real name in the newspaper. The shame of being looked at crookedly is too great. Her physical performance has declined in recent years, climbing stairs is increasingly becoming an ordeal, and walking is difficult. Your family doctor recommended a walker. But she could either use it in the apartment or to go shopping. “I'm not able to bring him up or down the stairs.” So she tries to find an apartment suitable for the elderly. So far without success. “I've already walked from pillar to post, but there is nothing that I can afford financially,” she says.

The number of seniors with restricted mobility will increase by 21 percent by 2035

The prognoses that Schulte will find something adequate in the foreseeable future remain bad.

The shortage of apartments for the elderly - the "gray housing shortage" as the expert Günther calls it - will increase in the coming years: Those who were born in the 1960s - the baby boom decade - will soon reach retirement age.

In 2035, the Pestel Institute has calculated, there will already be 4,600 households in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district in which older people live with restricted mobility - an increase of 21 percent.

This is one of the reasons why Günther urges that part of the apartments be converted to make them suitable for senior citizens whenever possible in the course of renovations.

There is at least some hope for those who seek but cannot find. Longleif gGmbH, which manages the 57 million euros that the Leifheit couple bequeathed to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen market, is building a complex with 24 barrier-free apartments - six of which are wheelchair-accessible - on the site of the former customs office in the northern part of the property which 30 to 35 people can live. These are mainly to be rented to senior citizens with a rather small budget. The building application was submitted in December 2020, and at the end of February 2021 a company commissioned to carry out clearing work. The shell has now started. It will certainly be a few more years before the first tenants move in - and the 24 apartments mean no more than a drop in the ocean.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-08-01

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