April 29 (Reuters) - Welltower raised its annual funds from operations (FFO) forecast on Monday, banking on strong demand for its assisted living and senior housing properties.

The real estate investment trust (REIT) owns housing and healthcare properties with a focus on older adults and assisted living.

It now sees its 2024 normalized FFO, a key performance measure for REITs, in the range of $4.02 to $4.15 per share, raised from its previous outlook of $3.94 to $4.10 per share.

The demand for senior housing assets has been on a rise due to an overall ageing population in the United States and an expected rise in senior citizens' healthcare expenditure.

Same-store net operating income from its senior housing properties rose 25.5% in the quarter ended March 31.

During the quarter, Welltower completed $449 million of pro rata gross investments, including $208 million in acquisitions and loan funding and $241 million in development funding, the company said.

The Ohio-based REIT posted net per share income attributable to common stockholders of 22 cents, compared with $0.05 per share a year earlier. (Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)