new delhi old age homes are no more the only option for the elderly people who have nowhere to go the concept of retirement homes and specialized apartments for senior citizensless institutionalized and more private alternativeshave been gaining ground with real estate developers seeing a lot of promise in building such facilities while retirement homes are only for senior citizens specialized apartments give elders a sense of community as they live in a complex catering to people from all age groups experts say that as a concept both can appeal to middle class and upper middle class ageing population but there are also apprehensions about this unregulated sector retirement homes are in the private sector there is no regulatory authority overseeing them so its difficult to analyse their quality as a concept they are good but we need to see how their revenue model works out for instance are they inflation proof can a pensioner bear the hike in the rent said manjira khurana country head communications and advocacy at helpage india at retirement homes like the golden estate in faridabad elders can opt for a suite or a studio with facilities such as airconditioning television and gym to make their stay comfortable and luxurious however there is no option of cooking and the food is provided by the company however such establishments dont come cheap the deposit at golden estate ranges from rs 20 lakh to rs 30 lakh a part of which is refundable depending on certain conditions besides a monthly rent of rs 20000 to rs 30000 is also charged and it goes up every year by 10 the facility which opened last year has 30 elderly occupants ashiana in bhiwadi is another such setup age ventures india a nonprofit organization with helpage india as its knowledge partner has been tying up with leading real estate companies developing gated apartments in several cities retirement homes can mean isolation for the elderly isolation can affect the elderly adversely and has been criticized by ageing experts we are suggesting that among the several building towers a few be made especially for elders said arun gupta its chief executive the organization is providing the facilities like a medical room recreation corner mini hospitaltype setup physiotherapy centre and a dining room elders can also use the club in the main building so that they are in regular touch with the young said gupta at one such complex age ventures india has also tied up with a nearby university where elders can interact with students