A senior care boom in South India

Chennai: Sethuraman and his two brothers, both bachelors, invested in a senior citizen living community near Mettupalayam at the foothills of the Nilgiris nearly 13 years ago. While his two brothers moved into their respective villas in 2014, Sethuraman, his wife, and mother joined them two years later, after the couple’s only daughter got married.

“When my brothers and mother were alive, we met every day and spent quality time together without having to worry about cooking or maintaining the house. Everything was taken care of by the promoters and the board of directors of the society, which is a mixed community. Life is bliss here,” Sethuraman tells DH.

Welcome to the world of senior living communities, where retirees pay a premium to lead peaceful and stress-free lives after retirement.

With these units offering everything from meals and emergency health services to nursing care, in-house doctors, and ambulances, many senior citizens who might otherwise feel isolated choose to move into such communities instead of living alone.

A 2023 report by JLL and the Association of Senior Living India noted that South India has emerged as the epicentre of the country’s senior living boom, accounting for nearly 60% of the market share.

Cities like Coimbatore and Bengaluru are preferred for their climate and quality healthcare, while Chennai is chosen for its strong connectivity and medical infrastructure, industry insiders say.

In addition to seniors themselves investing in retirement homes, affluent families and NRI children are increasingly willing to spend on such properties for their parents. This demand has led to a rise in upscale retirement communities and old age homes, especially in south India.

Dr Karthik Narayan R, founder and managing director of Athulya Senior Care, attributes the growth of senior living units to two key factors: The nuclearisation of families, with elders preferring not to depend on their children, and the rising incidence of dementia among seniors.

“We are already behind many countries in creating infrastructure for our elderly population. India has just 20,000 senior living units, while China has around 8 million. We have a long way to go,” says Narayan, who operates such facilities in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru.

The industry is expanding rapidly, growing from just five players a decade ago to around 150 today. The cost of a senior living unit ranges from Rs 40 lakh to over Rs 1 crore.

Narayan says access to peer groups and the reassurance of medical care, especially in emergencies, are among the biggest reasons seniors choose these facilities. “With both birth and death rates declining, seniors are realising their lives deserve priority. Many are saving specifically for their well-being,” he adds.

Professor D V R Seshadri of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, notes that ageing parents often struggle to relate to the lives their children lead abroad. Frequent visits are difficult, and the elderly often experience isolation in foreign environments that are so far removed from their social circles in India.

“The children settled overseas may prefer to ensure their parents are cared for in safe elder care homes in India, rather than have them live in unfamiliar, distant countries. These trends mark the beginning of a big wave that will soon sweep across the rest of India,” he says.