This is what Solidaris indicates in an analysis published Monday, after examining nearly 4,000 invoices from residents in rest homes. The mutual organization highlights a worrying situation: in 2023, staying in a rest home has become a luxury that many retirees can no longer afford.
In Wallonia and Brussels, the average monthly cost of a stay in a rest home is 1,989 euros, with 108 euros in supplements. In Brussels, this sum reaches 2,084 euros, with supplements amounting to 99 euros on average. Solidaris highlights a significant increase in prices, particularly in the private sector, where prices jumped by 50% between 2014 and 2023. Private rest homes have average costs of 1,985 euros in Wallonia and 2,276 euros in Brussels, while private rooms, which represent 75% of bills, cost on average 1,904 euros in Wallonia and 2,198 euros in Brussels.
This increase in costs puts a majority of retirees in difficulty. More than 75% of Brussels seniors over 69 and almost 50% of Walloons can no longer finance these costs with their gross pension. Women, whose average pension is 405 euros lower than that of men, are particularly affected.
To deal with this situation, Solidaris proposes several measures, including the regulation of nursing home prices, the revaluation of pensions and the implementation of aging policies adapted to the diversity of situations. The organization calls in particular for the establishment of a maximum bill adapted to income, the creation of an aging-health grant indexed to an aging coefficient and recognition of the heterogeneity of the elderly population.
This analysis, updated after that carried out in 2016, takes place in a context marked by demographic aging, the increase in chronic diseases and the shortage of caregivers. Solidaris calls for concrete measures to guarantee equitable access to care and dignified aging for all.
-> Find:
- the entire study: here
- the summary of the study: here
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