The disappointing construction production can have serious consequences, especially for the elderly. So few new senior housing units are being built that indoor accidents are lurking.
ABN Amro warns about this, which expects that fewer than three thousand houses for the elderly will be built this year, despite an earlier promised ‘catch-up’. “We can see exactly what is in the pipeline and there is a significant backlog,” says economist Paul Bisschop. “The housing shortage is of course a problem at all, but it also threatens to become a healthcare problem if the elderly are not in suitable housing. Think of accidents that could have been prevented.”
The bank bases its assessment on the Cobouw Construction Reports, which show that only 2,800 homes for the elderly will be completed this year. Much less than intended. Barely two years ago, the government was still aiming to catch up. The goal was to build at least 290,000 homes for the elderly by 2030, about 36,000 per year. This involved ‘zero step homes’, clustered housing types and nursing care places.
Walking on my last legs
It has been clear for some time that total construction production is lagging behind significantly. The realization of suitable homes for the elderly is a priority, among other things, to stimulate the so-called flow. But ABN Amro also warns of extra pressure on home care when elderly people do not have the opportunity to move to a suitable home. “They are already on their last legs in healthcare,” Bisschop notes. “The shortage of housing for the elderly is going to become even more acute.”
The ANBO-PCOB seniors’ association also calls it ‘extremely disturbing’ that the target seems far away. “Suitable homes in nice neighborhoods for seniors is a precondition for maintaining independence and preventing a need for care,” said spokesperson Eline Maarse.
According to the senior citizens’ association, the construction of clustered homes with communal areas is particularly urgent. “With the scarce care capacity and the policy to continue living independently for as long as possible, it is important that nursing care can also be offered at home,” says Maarse. “That only works if people live more or less together. It also makes it easier for people to look out for each other.” The senior citizens’ association already sees that the gap between their own home and the nursing home is very large when people need care.
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