German senior care housing need overstated, says consultant Georg & Ottenströer

The requirement for senior care housing in Germany up to 2030 is overstated by the official statistics, says a leading consulting firm in the sector. Georg & Ottenströer sees 180,000 to 200,000 places needed in the next 20 years, and not the 400,000 calculated by the federal statistics office. In a survey of 150 local municipalities and cities, the firm says that a large part of the over-65-year-olds can be cared for in their own homes. MD Achim Georg says the proportion that truly need to occupy care facilities is only around 3% or 4% of this age cohort. Assuming an average of 120 places per home, between 1,500 and 1,700 new facilities are needed in Germany in the next 20 years - in addition to the 9,000 currently operating. The federal stats office assumes that the rise in demand for senior care facilities through 2030 will be around 58% to 3.4m people, and sees every third needing special care facilities.