[cynicalsecurity]

There is no money in this business to make. Someone who didn't think of their old age in advance definitely hasn't got any money now. Sure, you can try to milk the government, but this is not really a sustainable business.

[donw]

Retirement homes are basically in the business of funneling the life savings of elderly residents into their own coffers.

For a fully mobile senior requiring no additional care, you're looking at a minimum of USD $3500/month at an assisted living facility. Add in any nursing needs, and that number will quickly go north of $5k/month. Once you start heading towards your late 80s, that number again quickly doubles.

Note that this does not include medical care, diapers, clothing, a phone, etc.

And this is the bottom of the market. A higher-end home will run double if not more.

In Japan, there are homes for every income tier, from "nothing more than a government pension" on up. Sure, the lower-end homes aren't great, but they beat homelessness by a wide margin. And these are private businesses, not government-run facilities.

[thornjm]

Many staff in different roles, 3+ shifts a day, 365 days a year is a lot of labour costs. Replacing even a fraction of labour is likely $100K a year of potential investment. More so in expensive labour countries.