What accommodation is suitable for seniors?

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According to INSEE, in 2019 there were 17.5 million French people aged 60 and over, or 25% of the French population. And 13% of them are 85 and over. This is a trend that can be found in all the countries of Europe. Forecasts in 2040 count on 22.9 million seniors and 26.4 million in 2070, which means that they will then represent 35% of the population (in 2070). It is therefore an important part of the population with specific needs in terms of housing which it is imperative to meet now.

For housing, several alternatives are possible depending on the age and health of the people:
■ keep your own accommodation
■ consider co-living with other seniors or with a student
■ return to live with her children
■ residences managed with different levels of services
■ Ehpad – accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people.

In 2021, a survey carried out by Deloitte for the FPI (Federation of real estate developers) indicated that 62% of those over 60 wanted to age at home; 23% want to move to more suitable accommodation and 12% were considering a service residence.

The advancing age brings certain changes. The triggers for a change of accommodation are loss of autonomy, death of a spouse and illness. One thing to note is the ever-longer life expectancy of women more often than not leading them to stay at home alone than men at the same age.

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What are the criteria for seniors when they choose to stay at home? If it is difficult to obtain precise figures, it seems logical that seniors are moving towards housing with “reduced” living space to facilitate maintenance and movement from one room to another, with little upstairs or even on the same level to limit the risk of falls on the stairs.

In terms of location, some seniors will choose to move when they are in rural areas in cities to be closer either to their children, but especially to shops and hospitals. But whatever the age, the location remains a major criterion for the choice of accommodation. We will indeed look with precision at the environment of the accommodation, in particular the topography – we will avoid the big hills to go up to get the bread. If possible, we will choose cities where car traffic is moderate, where there are pedestrian paths, and where transport is accessible to people with reduced mobility (PRM), etc. To avoid isolation, we can also favor municipalities that offer leisure activities. Aging well at home is one thing, but it should not be equated with “staying at home”.

We can also “delay” entry into a nursing home by adapting housing for seniors as soon as possible, once again to limit fatigue and accidents. We are obviously thinking of installing showers instead of baths, raised WCs or even stairlifts – work for which it is possible to benefit from state aid – but also sometimes more simply bars of water. support, anti-slip devices on the floors, or even automatic lights for night-time travel. We can also make daily life easier with automatic shutters, ensure accessibility of items in closets and easy openings of doors and windows. To reassure loved ones, it is also possible to use fall detectors in the form of a bracelet or a pendant.

In December 2020, the DREES (Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics) warned of the lack of places in nursing homes to “absorb” the growing demand from seniors needing assistance on a daily basis. It had 611,000 existing places, which it would like to see increase by 108,000 places by 2030 and 211,000 additional places by 2050.

However, between individual accommodation and nursing home, there remains the solution of the managed residence: a set of private apartments with common areas, similar to a student residence but for seniors. Today, there are 104,000 places available in these establishments and the addition of 30,000 additional places by 2030, could be enough to meet the needs and at the same time reduce the number of places needed in nursing homes.

In conclusion, the increase in the life expectancy of the French generate an additional demand for housing that it is necessary to anticipate. While certain criteria such as price, location, brightness or insulation remain criteria common to all age groups, it is important to simplify daily life in the accommodation to ensure that you stay there as long as possible. a long time possible serenely.