YOOBELONG Founder Dr. Jil Gunsenheimer transforms senior living in Germany by advocating for aging at home within community-based environments that emphasize dignity, choice, and an active lifestyle.

Berlin, Germany, July 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seniors often find themselves feeling underserved or stereotyped in traditional senior residences and settings, where environments may not cater adequately to their individual needs or aspirations. Complicating this issue are the negative connotations associated with traditional senior housing, which include concerns about isolation and loss of independence. The term “senior” itself can be problematic, particularly in regions like Germany, where cultural perceptions often view aging as a period of decline rather than a phase filled with potential. Dr. Jil C. Gunsenheimer, the founder of YOOBELONG, brings a fresh perspective to this landscape.

Jil realized the limitations of current senior housing offerings in Germany. She saw the need to advocate for solutions that enable aging at home, promoting independent living within an active community. Passionate about providing a social purpose to senior living, Jil established YOOBELONG to introduce a new community concept for senior living—one that emphasizes dignity, choice, and a renewed sense of purpose in the later stages of life.

The visionary developed YOOBELONG as a serviced living community for individuals aged 60 and above. Jil leveraged her experience working with a leading European real estate group that managed over a hundred senior residences across various markets to inform her decision-making when planning YOOBELONG’s initiatives. The result of this is a solid mission to offer seniors a dynamic and inspiring lifestyle within a supportive community setting, shifting away from traditional models focused primarily on medical care and support.

“We believe that a community-based living concept addresses the issue of solitude among seniors,” shares Jil. “We hope that by establishing an active local community, we can help them feel supported and attain a sense of belonging. Our goal is to see everyone benefitting and contributing to a fulfilling community life.”

To fulfill this objective, the community offering of YOOBELONG is implemented in various housing options, including new builds and converted assets, to accommodate different needs and preferences within the “young-senior” demographic. The new community-based concept addresses the problem regarding upscale retirement homes, which are often expensive due to high staffing ratios and extensive communal areas.

It accelerates the implementation of new housing options, all while creating inclusive environments integral to local communities. This means YOOBELONG provides tailor-made programs using available community spaces to encourage social connections and participation in cultural, sporting, and gastronomic activities.

YOOBELONG also integrates a PropTech approach in its services. It introduces a digital user app as a platform for booking services, boosting community interaction, and enabling access to relevant content. This technological foundation enhances convenience for residents and supports the overall scalability and adaptability of YOOBELONG’s offerings. Essentially, this innovative community concept allows the organization to support aging at home, promote independence, longevity, and respond to the growing preference among “young seniors” to remain within familiar surroundings.

Reflecting on the complexities of meeting seniors’ unique needs and preferences while avoiding stigmatization, Jil ensures YOOBELONG employs a thoughtful, community-centric service design. Seniors often resist being labeled solely by their age. They prefer to be treated as empowered individuals with diverse interests and expectations. Therefore, YOOBELONG professionally manages activities and services that meet or exceed the standards expected by any demographic.

“What we do differently is that we emphasize inclusivity and personal choice. For example, we curate experiences that rival those available outside of senior living communities. This means offering different cultural, sporting, and social activities matching our members’ unique preferences and interests,” Jil supplies.

Ultimately, YOOBELONG leads a movement toward improving senior living solutions within Germany, prioritizing community, lifestyle enrichment, and cutting-edge service delivery for individuals aged 60 and above. The organization seeks investment from asset and investment management firms eager to diversify their portfolios with high-value senior service living assets. Such investments would expedite the realization of YOOBELONG’s vision of the first local community hubs in dedicated apartment complexes across Germany and eventually transport this concept into broader districts and individual households, as well as other European markets.

Media Contact

Name: Dr. Jil Gunsenheimer

Email: jil.gunsenheimer@yoobelong.com

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