‘How do we take care of ourselves at our old age?’: Greying NCR fuels senior living boom in Gurgaon

The Indian Express spoke to real estate developers, senior citizens who have invested in dedicated living spaces, and government officials in the National Capital Region (NCR), and found several options catering to this growing trend – from independent residences and care homes to integrated intergenerational communities.

Market studies show that Gurgaon has emerged as the epicentre of this growing industry, boosted by a wealthier catchment group, favourable regulations, and the availability of real estate.

A recent benchmarking study by Savills found that approximately 8% of Gurgaon’s population is in the 60-plus age bracket. More significantly for the luxury housing segment, 37% of the city’s population earns more than Rs 10 lakh annually, making those who fall under both categories natural candidates for premium senior or assisted living.

Real estate major DLF formally announced its first dedicated senior living project in Gurgaon at the start of this year.

But first, the numbers on why this trend is trending.

The market and the regulations

Mordor Intelligence’s 2026 framework values India’s senior living market at roughly $4.47 billion this year, projecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26% through 2031. Outright sale, or freehold models, remain the preferred approach, accounting for more than 62% of market share, as buyers treat units as appreciating assets.

CBRE’s Residential Market Outlook 2026, released in March, flags senior living as a primary growth theme for institutional capital, noting that a “flight-to-quality” trend is pushing affluent buyers, particularly NRIs securing homes for aging parents, to demand global service and healthcare benchmarks.

Epoch Elder Care home (titled Gustav) at Mayfield Garden. It specialises in dementia care.

Regulation, too, is catching up

At the end of 2024, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) introduced a separate accreditation for operational senior care homes with quarterly key performance indicators to be submitted over a four-year cycle. The key focus: facility management and safety; health, hygiene and infection control; resident engagement.

Last month, the Haryana government raised the maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR; the ratio of a building’s total constructed floor area to the size of the land plot on which it is built) for senior living colonies from 2.25 to 3.0. The revision allows builders to dedicate more space to medical and holistic care facilities without sacrificing sellable residential area, making senior living a more commercially viable asset.

Independent residences: ‘Location, facilities’

The Chatterjees wanted a space that would be conducive for older people. “What was on our mind is how do we take care of ourselves at our old age. We have two daughters; life is different. Those who are working often find it difficult to take care of aging parents,” the former banker said.

The couple first considered an Aashiana senior living project at Bhiwadi, south of Gurgaon in Rajasthan, which is part of Delhi-NCR. “Through a friend’s reference, we booked it just before the pandemic, took delivery in 2021, and put the unit on rent,” Chatterjee said.

Subsequently, the couple saw an ad for Advait, a project by Pioneer Urban Estates at Nirvana Country in Gurgaon. Its location in the heart of the city, close to major hospitals, presented an important advantage. They purchased a unit in 2024, and expect possession formalities to begin in December this year.

Spread across 2.6 acres in Sector 50, Advait features 164 two-bedroom residences across four 18-storey towers, each priced between Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 4 crore. The project has a Haryana RERA senior living licence, which mandates safety and accessibility features. Apartments are designed with anti-skid flooring, wider doors, and adequate wheelchair-turning radius. Homes are fitted with panic alarms, two-way switches, and electrical controls at accessible heights. Washrooms have grab bars, rounded corners, raised seat heights, and heat pumps for instant hot water. A specialised air filtration system, officials claim, maintains indoor AQI between 40 and 70 even during the peak pollution months.

The property hosts a Fortis medical centre with a pharmacy, physiotherapy room, and consultation spaces, along with 24-hour nursing, on-site doctors, nutritionists, and priority homecare services. A 35,000-sq-foot clubhouse includes an acupressure path, meditation garden, hydrotherapy area, and wellness centre.

Although they are currently fit and active, the Chatterjees said their decision was made easier by the promise of specialised life care. “We told our daughters that we do not want you to worry and instead live life comfortably. End-of-life care is also getting specialised. Our friends live all over Delhi-NCR. If we had stronger connections around our (current) home, maybe that would have delayed our decision. We tried to nudge several of our friends who are as concerned about health, but they could not take the plunge,” Chatterjee said.

Care homes: ‘Better than our home’

Not every care-home model involves purchasing property, according to developers. There is an option for elders who need consistent medical attention that is more than a family can typically provide but not so much that hospitalisation would be needed. So, residents check in for the long term, receive round-the-clock medical supervision, and pay a monthly rent.

Epoch currently operates four such assisted living homes in Gurgaon, with a focus on specialised senior care, particularly for those with dementia. Gustav, its Mayfield Garden facility that was set up in 2024, is a four-storey property with 38 beds, located close to C K Birla Hospital. There is a reading room and cognitive activity spaces in the basement. Tariffs average Rs 1.3 lakh per person per month, starting at Rs 85,000 for twin-sharing and going up to Rs 2 lakh depending on the level of personalised care required. The facility holds a medico-assisted living licence from the Town and Country Planning Department.

Interiors of Advait senior living homes by Pioneer Urban

Epoch CEO Neha Sinha acknowledged that these facilities are often the last resort for families that have exhausted other options. “We like to do long-term stays, so we have started offering trials. About 45% of our elders are from NRI families, from the US and UK, as of now. Unlike the other models that are hospitality, ours is about care,” Sinha said, adding that 95% of move-in agreements are for life, with the remainder being post-surgical short stays.

Asked what typically brings a family to the facility, she said, “It is mostly the adult child that brings the elders in, after trying home care and resident nurses. It is typically the primary caregiver who comes, and in some cases the spouse – very rarely do elders admit themselves. In an old-age home, you will not get person-centric care. Here, I can tailor-make plans. About 70% of our elders have chronic neurodegenerative conditions.”

A resident, who is a retired academic, said: “We moved here after one of my sons moved abroad. Yahaan ghar se bhi achchha hai. (This is better than our home.) There was no problem adjusting. I get my meals and watch TV as per my time and take part in activities.”

Integrated communities: ‘Want young people nearby’

There are some who are not yet convinced the model can keep scaling.

“In our country, people still believe in living with and taking care of parents, and parents too want to be around healthy people, not with those who are sick. This kind of space will work only with strong integration with medical players and in locations close to hospitals. And the properties will not have much resale value as an investment since they can only be bought by seniors. Why would a family living in a 3 or 4 BHK then want to keep their parents elsewhere?” Abhishek Bhardwaj, founder of Kalpvriksha Realty, said.

Such concerns have shaped the approach of at least one developer. Antara, the senior living arm of the Max Group, has launched Estate 360, an intergenerational community on the Dwarka Expressway.

“We were getting a lot of feedback from seniors that they don’t want to see just old people around themselves. They also want younger people nearby. So we launched an intergenerational project in which Max Estates is building some towers, while we are building some,” said Rajit Mehta, MD and CEO of Antara Senior Living.

Antara has launched 1,400 units, of which 1,000 have been offered for sale, and 950 have been sold. The company also operates around 200 care home beds across Gurgaon and Noida.

While standard residential communities in the area sell at around Rs 20,000 per square foot, Antara prices its units at a 15-20% premium to account for the additional infrastructure: wider doorways and corridors for wheelchair access, barrier-free design, specialised electrical fittings, higher lux lighting levels, no sharp edges and emergency call buttons, Mehta said.

A monthly maintenance fee of around Rs 10 per square foot covers access to doctors, basic health services such as blood pressure and sugar checks, nurse support, and community engagement programmes.

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KEY FACTS

BIG PICTURE: India’s senior living market is valued at $4.47 billion in 2026, projected to grow at 26% annually through 2031

POTENTIAL: Around 8% of Gurgaon’s population is aged 60 and above; 37% earn over Rs 10 lakh annually

REGULATIONS: Haryana has raised the FAR for senior living colonies from 2.25 to 3.0, making projects more commercially viable

COSTS: Assisted living in Gurgaon could cost between Rs 85,000 and Rs 2 lakh per person per month. Independent senior living units are priced between Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 4 crore