A growing group of seniors requires new housing solutions – from professional nursing homes, through private medical care centers, to modern housing investments designed with the comfort, safety and independence of older people in mind. Developers and investors are beginning to notice that a senior is not just a patient, but an active user of space – someone who wants to be close to a park, a shop, a clinic and neighbors with whom they can simply talk. However, looking to the West, this awareness is only just beginning to emerge in Poland.
A new market segment is slowly emerging before our eyes: senior housing, combining care, community and accessibility with aesthetics and functionality that has so far been missing in traditional nursing homes. But are the Polish market and local governments ready for this demographic revolution? What models – private, commercial or public-private – are likely to work? We asked experts about it.
Senior housing – time for a new definition of old age
As Sylwia Ziemacka, COO of the Senior Housing and Healthcare Association (SHHA), notes, Poland is currently facing one of the greatest demographic challenges in its history. — The number of people over 65 has increased by 5.6 percentage points in recent years – this is the largest increase in the entire European Union and almost twice as much as the European average – emphasizes the expert. These are data that leave no doubt: the aging of society is becoming not only a social issue, but also one of the key factors shaping the future of the real estate market.
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Ziemacka points out that “we are talking about two overlapping trends: the aging of society and the extension of life expectancy.” And although both bring challenges, it is the latter that should become an impulse to rethink housing and social strategies. — It's not about reacting to the effects of aging, but about planning a long and healthy life, he adds.
SHHA data show that in European Union countries men live on average 62.4 years in good health, and another 15.5 years in poor health. In the case of women, this difference is even greater – 62.8 years in health and as much as 20.5 years in disease, which is almost a quarter of life expectancy. “This is a model that cannot be maintained, either financially or socially,” says Ziemacka. Longer life therefore requires not only more care facilities, but above all a completely new approach to the space in which seniors live.
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According to data from 2024, there are 1,583 24-hour care facilities in Poland, of which 903 are Social Welfare Homes and 678 are private senior homes. — This shows how urgent investments in this sector are. Social needs are growing faster than the market can respond to them, comments Ziemacka.
New models such as Independent Living and Assisted Living can fill this gap. In the first case, we are talking about apartments for active seniors who want to live independently, but in an environment that ensures safety and service facilities. In turn, Assisted Living combines independent living with 24/7 care – a solution widely developed, among others, in Germany or the United States. — Investing in senior living is not a cost, but a long-term strategy that brings economic benefits, Ziemacka points out. According to data from ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators), in Great Britain the so-called Integrated Retirement Communities (IRC) generates measurable effects: if by 2030 250,000 Britons 65+ lived in such communities, it would bring savings of EUR 5.6 billion to the health care system and free up over 560,000 jobs. bedrooms for younger generations.
Poland, according to the SHHA expert, can make a “frog leap” by learning from the experience of Western countries. — Looking at the success of the PRS (Private Rented Sector), it can be said that the time has come for PRS for seniors – investments in rentals dedicated to this growing social group. This is a natural step in the development of the housing market, argues Sylwia Ziemacka.
Senior living in Poland – a market on the threshold of professionalization
Although housing for seniors is being talked about more and more often, it still lacks a coherent definitional framework and market standards. – We do not have a single, defined name for this sector – admits Jacek Kałużny, director of the Operational Capital Markets department at Savills. — On the one hand, we are talking about nursing homes and care and treatment facilities, and on the other hand, we are talking about assisted living and independent living facilities. In practice, there is no unified nomenclature that would help investors and local governments better understand what they are investing in, says the expert.
Savills data shows that Polish care facilities offer approximately 180,000. places for seniors. Compared to the potential needs – with the rapidly growing population of 65+ and 80+ – this is still a drop in the ocean. — Many public centers operate in buildings that have not been modernized for 15 or 20 years. This is infrastructure that does not meet today's needs or standards of care, Kałużny points out.
Growing investor interest is visible, but the market is still taking shape. — Currently, there are a handful of larger-scale operators, and most are local, small centers. There is a lack of standardization of services and professional operator structures that would allow for the creation of a coherent, commercial offer, says a Savills expert.
For investors, this means several possible entry strategies: from building their own operating structure, through partnerships with existing players, to taking over existing companies. — The first transactions have already appeared on the market, but we still cannot talk about consolidation. This is a market in the maturing phase, adds Kałużny.
However, mental changes are working to the sector's advantage. Just a decade ago, in 2014, only a quarter of Poles were ready to entrust the care of seniors to a professional center. Today – according to research – it is over one third of society. — This is a very similar process to the one we observed earlier on the apartment rental market. Ownership used to dominate, today more and more people choose flexible forms of residence. A similar shift can be seen in thinking about the care of seniors – from family duty towards professional, dignified care – says Kałużny.
The growing number of older people, demographic pressure and changing social expectations make senior housing one of the key directions for the Polish real estate market. This is not only a new investment branch, but also an area that – as experts emphasize – may determine the quality of life of an entire generation. Because longevity is no longer a challenge. It is an opportunity – provided that we build a suitable place for it to live.
