Elderly people looking for an Ehpad face huge territorial disparities, both in terms of available rooms and prices, alarmed the UFC Que Choisir on Tuesday, which calls for giving priority to the creation of places in the public sector, less expensive for a quality of reception at least equivalent.
In a study devoted to the “intolerable geographical and economic disparities” of the sector, the consumer association notes that “the number of places can vary from simple to fourfold depending on the departments: while in Lozère there are 169 places for 1,000 inhabitants over 75, in Paris this number drops to 41”.
1,749 euros per square in the Meuse, 3,700 euros in Paris
The “territorial divide” is also financial, note the authors of the study: if the monthly rent for a place in an nursing home reaches 2,214 euros on average in France, it peaks at 1,749 euros in the Meuse, but rises to 2 Around 600 euros in the Rhône, Bouches-du-Rhône or Alpes-Maritimes, and close to 3,700 euros in Paris.
However, these price differences are largely explained by the relative weight, in each department, of public, associative or private nursing homes for commercial purposes, the latter being invoiced on average 50% more expensive than public structures. “Private nursing homes are sometimes overrepresented in certain departments”, and the higher their share, “the higher the average price of a place is,” analyzes the consumer association. Even though, given their ratio of professionals serving residents, the elderly are not better treated there than in the public, she notes.
Advocacy for capped tariffs
For the UFC Que Choisir, “the profit maximization strategy of private establishments”, which does not always take into account the well-being of residents, is implemented “with the implicit and deplorable blank check of the public authorities “, which promote their development, in particular because their residents are less often eligible for social assistance.
So that each senior who wishes can find a place “at a reasonable price”, the association requests that “the creation of new places in Ehpad be done mainly in public structures”. Private establishments should see their prices capped, and be forced to offer places eligible for social assistance. Finally, the UFC recommends a “compulsory minimum supervision rate” imposed on all establishments.