The dilapidated castle in Chodová Planá is a home for seniors, it is fully occupied

Chodová Planá – The Czech company Senlife has transformed a dilapidated and unused neo-Baroque castle in Chodová Planá near Mariánské Lázně, which has been vacant for 35 years, into a home for seniors and a home with a special regime. All 97 rooms with 107 beds are occupied. Chodová Planá, which repaired the façade and roof of the cultural monument, had been looking for an investor for a long time to ensure suitable use and preserve its historical and cultural character. Germans, Vietnamese, and Italians were interested, but the local municipality did not trust their intentions. This was stated by Mayor Luboš Hlačík (ODS) to ČTK.

The investor for the reconstruction costing 230 million CZK was a consortium of commercial insurance companies represented by the Czech Office of Insurers and the Czech Insurance Association (ČAP). They established a Center for Long-Term Care, which owns the home. "We secured the castle, arranged the purchase for the insurance companies, our subsidiary carried out the reconstruction, we are the operators, and we pay rent," said Senlife co-owner Lukáš Drásta. The insurance companies have already supported three more homes operated by Senlife – in a reconstructed monastery in Mělník, in a castle in Tmani near Beroun, and in June, Dobrá Voda near Březnice was opened in pre-war spa facilities. In September, they will also operate a home in Dolní Břežany near Prague.

"We are the smallest. We have been operating for a year and filled up gradually. We utilized all the spaces in the castle in Chodová Planá. We only built a terrace with a café and wellness underneath it," said the director of the home, Barbora Komoňová. The first and second floors are for seniors, and the third and fourth floors are homes with a special regime for clients with dementia and other cognitive dysfunctions – there is the highest demand for these beds, which make up half of the capacity. Many clients are from the surrounding area, but also from Prague and Hradec Králové. Because those beds are not available, the director added.

According to Drásta, the prices for beds are comparable to other facilities in the region, but according to Komoňová, they are significantly lower than, for example, in the vicinity of Prague. A double room costs about 35,000 CZK and a single room is around 39,000 CZK/month. "We have clients, including married couples, who sold some property, or the family contributes," the director indicated. According to Drásta, Senlife has enough staff to care for people. The facility employed 65 people, mostly from the nearby area, and it was possible to find workers quickly.

"The use of the castle is ideal. It is a very important service for the region; we do not even have a hospital in Tachov," stated the mayor. According to him, the municipality has a contract for the priority placement of locals under better conditions.

There is a forty-hectare municipal park around the castle. Senlife only owns a small plot behind the castle, where there are flower beds and a mini-zoo with alpacas, rabbits, and chickens. The public is welcome everywhere, the director said. The municipality acquired the castle free of charge in 2006. Up until the beginning of the 90s, border guards were stationed there, and then the Ministry of the Interior did not use it, and it fell into disrepair.

"In the future, we will not be able to do without private capacities for residential services. We will now look for a financing model and from 2028 to 2034 we will direct European funds to expand residential service capacities," said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aleš Juchelka (ANO).

"From the insurance companies' resources, we are investing in new long-term care beds that are sorely lacking," said ČAP executive director Jan Matoušek. According to him, there are 17 more projects in various stages of preparation where over 2,000 beds will be created mainly for seniors with loss of independence within eight years.